Don't Misunderstand Me
by Gremlin25
Summary: Allen finally decides to give up on a friendship with Kanda, believing that the other boy truly does not wish to be friends. But events seem to be hinting otherwise, and thier relationship is changing. KandaxAllen. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Hey all. boy love, so yeah…maybe don't read it if you don't like?

Disclaimer: I don't own D Gray Man.

The cafeteria was subdued, which was unusual when so many exorcists were at headquarters at one time. Right now there were six of them sitting on the long benches, each with his or her own plate - or in the case of one grey haired exorcist, many plates, and bowls, and cups...Allen was currently about halfway through his meal, stopping only long enough to smile or chuckle at the antics of Lavi and his teacher, who were currently arguing about Lavi's ability (or inability) as an exorcist, bookman, and all around human being. Even their arguing didn't hold the same flair as usual, though. Lenalee was demurely sipping soup from her spoon, ignoring Komui's dramatic hand waving and worried tone as he fussed over his 'precious baby sister.' Miranda was quietly eating her pasta, and next to her Arystar was happily humming a song as he ate a burger and fries - a dish he discovered the week before and had since refused to order anything else. No one was really concerned, however, since he had done the same thing the week before with lasagna.

The reason behind their barely concealed unease was sitting two tables away. Allen was sure he could sense a dark cloud hanging above a group of five or so Finders, and he felt a stab of guilt that he couldn't quite hide.

They had lost a Finder on their last mission. Or, to be exact, they had allowed a finder to die. His eating slowed as he reluctantly remembered the events of that day. Komui had requested that he go and act as back up for Kanda in Denmark. Apparently there was a village that had been plagued by strange occurrences and disappearances. When Kanda had arrived he discovered that hundreds of Level Ones and dozens of Level Twos were gathered in search of innocence. They were keeping his hands so full that he was unable to properly search for the precious material.

Allen made haste to the small town, but he did not get there soon enough to avoid disaster. Kanda had found the innocence, but he had been unable to avoid the notice of the Akuma. He and Allen had barely been able to fight their way out of the ring of level twos that had surrounded them, and they could see more fast approaching. Their Finder, Juan, and Allen had both been injured badly in the fight. Kanda had stopped in front of them, panting from exertion, and for just a moment Allen had seen a bit of unease in his eyes as he looked between them and the hordes of Akuma speeding towards them.

Allen had understood immediately. He could not carry both of them out and keep the innocence safe. "Go...go." Allen had said as he struggled to his feet, swaying where he stood. "I will get Juan and I out."

Kanda's eyes had flashed with a familiar emotion - anger. "Don't be an idiot, Bean Sprout! You can barely stand!"

Allen tried to smile and stand straighter. "No, no, I can.."

"No." The raspy voice had pulled their attention. "No, you must leave me. Kanda, you must...you have to get the innocence and Exorcist Walker out of here. They..." he had stopped to gasp and grap his midsection, where Allen could see blood seeping through his white coat. "They are more important."

Kanda had studied him for a moment before slowly nodding and putting an arm around Allen's waist. "W - wait! No! We can't leave him!" He tried to struggle, gasping at the pain coming from his right leg. He couldn't even remember getting the injury, but it was bleeding profusely, and Allen was going dizzy with blood loss.

"Allen." The fierceness of Juan's voice stopped his struggles. Brown eyes pleaded. "Please...it is an oath we took. This...this is all we can do. Do not take this from me. You can come back for me after the innocence is safe"

Allen had stared for a moment before nodding, wondering if he was doing the right thing as he allowed Kanda to drag him away. He understood well the need to do his duty and the pain that almost everyone in the order had suffered at the hands of Akuma. The only thing that truly helped was being allowed to fight against them. Allen knew that giving more innocence to the Earl was not an option. Staying and allowing them both to die would not honor Juan. He just hoped the finder could hold on until they could come back to him. By the time help arrived and Kanda was able to retrieve Juan, the man had died from his injuries.

Juan had been fairly new to the order and well loved by every exorcist who had worked with him and by his fellow finders. Walker had barely known him, but that did not stop the guilt that he felt over his death. Even Kanda had seem affected by the loss beneath his cold exterior, and he and Allen had barely spoken since returning. While Allen had to recover the last two weeks, Kanda had immediately left for a new mission. Komui had announced earlier that he was due to arrive back that very day.

Allen couldn't help but be nervous. He had heard rumors that the finders were blaming Kanda for Juan's death. It was no secret that Kanda did not seem to have any love for his comrades. He was always leaving finders to find their own way, but that was after all his job - he always had to put the mission first. And Allen had never known Finders to have a problem with it before now. When he questioned Toma about it, the man had just shrugged. "Kanda has spent too long pushing everyone away from him. People cannot help but feel betrayed when a comrade refuses to accept them. This is just the way it is showing itself."

Allen sighed and set down his last bowl. He smiled at Lenalee as she exclaimed over the amount he had eaten - _"you must be growing, Allen!"_, and wearily stood. His body was still tired from the healing it had been doing, and he was planning on taking a nap. He opened his mouth to say goodbye to his friends, but was distracted by a sudden commotion behind him. Curious, he turned to see what the fuss was, and then froze.

Kanda was back, and had come to the mess hall to eat. He stood, face cold, arms crossed, and Mugen on his back as the Finders who had looked so upset earlier stood in a loose circle around him. John, a Finder who was as big as he was jolly, did not have his usual cheerful face on. Instead, it was pulled into an angry mask.

"Oh, dear." Allen glanced at Komui, who had put on his grave face - reserved only for when he was forced to take his job seriously. Nervous, Allen took a step towards Kanda, not willing to let him face the Finders' wrath alone. After all, they had both left Juan to his fate.

"You care only about yourself!" John yelled, and Allen winced when he saw the tears on the man's face. "You are a coward who is afraid to care about those who are weaker than you! You see only the things that can give you the advantage, and care nothing for those you deem lower than yourself! No one wants to see you here!"

Allen gasped in surprise - not at the words coming from John's mouth, after all, he had heard the same mutterings coming from the finders for two weeks now. No, it was the look on Kanda's face. Maybe someone who didn't know him would see only cold disinterest, but Allen had spent too much time baiting him from across the aisle on trains to miss the small muscle twitches and slightly furrowed brow. Kanda was...sad.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had launched across the room and was standing next to Kanda with a hand on his arm. Allen could tell by the way he stiffened that he hadn't sensed Allen's approach.

"Stop it!" Allen yelled at the Finders surrounding them. "You have no right! Kanda was just doing what he had too, and so was I! If you want to be angry, be angry with me! I made the choice - the choice Juan asked me to make! The choice he asked Kanda to make! You are only disrespecting his memory. He asked us to leave him! He asked us..." Allen looked down as tears threatened, trying not to see the shock on the faces of everyone around him.

John swallowed. He liked Allen - everyone did, except, it seemed, for Kanda. "Allen...would never leave a comrade! I cannot believe it! You are just covering for Kanda!"

Allen's eyes widened. "I am not! I was there, after all!"

"You were injured! You didn't know what you were doing!"

"Of course I did! I allowed it to happen! Kanda is not a bad person! He was sad, too! Yuu is a good exorcist and friend - "

Allen was cut off as something hard hit the side of his head. He only had time to gasp before he was sailing through the air, over one table, and crashing into bowls and plates on another before skidding on his back onto the floor.

Eyes wide, he stared at the ceiling, ignoring Lenalee's frantic questions in his shock. Kanda had...punched him? But why? Allen had been defending him! He stood slowly, eyes searching for the person who was responsible for the throbbing in his recently injured leg, new bruises, and bits of food splattering his formerly clean jacket.

"Wha-what's your problem, jerk? I was defending you!"

Kanda stood with his arms crossed, eyes cold. "Do not call me Yuu. We," he turned towards Jerry and started to walk away, "are not friends, and I do not need you to defend me."

Silence filled the room, the only sound Allen's heavy breathing and Kanda's calm footsteps. Allen's fists were clenched at his side, and his head was bowed so that his eyes were not visible.

"Kanda!" Lenalee called from next to Allen, where she had run after he had landed. A few Finders shifted uneasily. It wasn't very often you saw an angry Lenalee, but usually when it happened destruction followed. Kanda stopped walking to look back over his shoulder.

"How dare you treat Allen-kun this way! He was only trying to help - "

"Not friends?" A low voice cut Lenalee off. She started and looked next to her at the gray haired exorcist, whose eyes were still hidden beneath his fringe. "I suppose you are right. How silly of me."

Lenalee's eyes widened. She had only heard that tone from Allen once before - when he was talking to the Earl. "A-Allen?" She whispered. No one dared to move. Kanda raised an eyebrow. "What are you mumbling about, bean sprout?" he scoffed.

Allen finally raised his his head, and a few disturbed mutterings could be heard throughout the room. His eyes were cold. He kept his pale face expressionless despite the angry red swelling on his right side where Kanda had hit him.

"You should call me Walker, since we are not friends, _Kanda_." Without another word to anyone, he turned and walked from the room, leaving even Kanda looking slightly disturbed.

Allen couldn't sleep. Probably because he was so _angry_. Allen knew that a friendship with Kanda wasn't easy. It involved insults, cold shoulders, and constant bickering. But he had truly thought that after everything they had been through, they were still friends. Kanda's words would not leave his head. _We are not friends_.

After everything - all the shared missions, shared fights, even shared jokes at times! Allen had not felt like he had a family since Mana - not until he came to the order. They were all on the same side after all. All of them were brought together by the pain of their pasts - pain caused by the Millenium Earl. It had actually not occurred to Allen that Kanda did not consider him a friend for a long time - he just assumed the other boy was incapable of showing it.

Allen turned on his side and stared at the wall. He felt...tricked. After all, he felt affection for Kanda. Was he truly so stupid that he hadn't noticed his feelings weren't returned? And what was so wrong with him that Kanda couldn't give him his affections, anyway?

He clenched his hands in his sheets and allowed his eyes to harden. Fine. If Kanda truly wanted to live without his friendship, than who was he to deny him his wish?

***  
The next day saw Allen shuffling into the mess hall, a huge yawn spreading over his face. He rubbed his eyes before wandering towards Jerry.

"Hey, honey, how's your eye?"

Allen tenderly touched the side of his face, wincing slightly before smiling brightly at the cook. "I've had much worse, don't worry about me! Did you sleep well, Jeryy?"

The man raised his eyebrows in clear doubt, but let it go. "Oh, you know, no rest for the wicked." He leaned forward on the ledge of the window, spatula in the air. "What'll you have this morning?"

Allen tapped his lip in thought, and named off about 10 different dishes - most of them not even in the breakfast category. With a happy little sigh Jeryy wandered off to make the meal, finishing it in record time. Allen took his heaping tray and turned to look for anyone he might know. He spotted Miranda and Lavi chatting with Toma at an otherwise empty table and made his way to sit down next to the red headed bookman.

"Morning!" He called before digging into his food. It took him a moment to realize his friends had gone quiet and were studying him. He paused and looked up. "What? Is there something on my face?"

He slapped his hands at his face to find the offending piece of food, wincing when he hit his new bruise. "Ouch." Lavi reached up and pushed a piece of Allen's hair out of the way to study the mark. "I can have Panda-sensei look at that..."

Allen rolled his eyes and flapped Lavi's hand away. "Is that what you guys are worried about?" He asked, exasperated. "It's fine - it's just a bruise!"

"Yes, but Allen...you seemed upset when you left yesterday. And sometimes...words can leave deeper bruises than fists" Miranda said quietly from across the table.

Allen looked down for a moment. When he lifted his head, he had a bright smile on his face. "Oh, well, I'm alright now, so please don't worry about me anymore!" More silence. Slowly, Lavi nodded before flinging his arm around Allen's neck and pulling his head towards his shoulder, making him yelp as he hit his abused face. "That's our bean sprout! Nothing keeps you down or angry for long. We all know that's just how Yu is! Speaking of which..." Lavi let go of Allen to turn toward's Jeryy's window and wave his hand in the air frantically.

"Yuu! Yuu, Allen isn't angry anymore, so come and sit with us!" Lavi either didn't notice or didn't care when Allen stiffened next to him. The boy's face fell into a neutral expression, and he turned back to his food, ignoring the tray that slid next to Miranda's across from him.

"Idiot. I told you not to call me that." A rustle of fabric signaled that Kanda was sitting down. Allen gripped the bowl in his hands tighter and struggled to keep his face calm and cold. Jeeze, how did Kanda do it all the time? And why was he sitting next to him, anyway? Didn't he always eat alone like the antisocial cold hearted jerk that he was?

"Hello, Kanda." Miranda said in a small voice, Toma mirroring her greeting, getting only a grunt in response. Allen began shoving food more aggressively in his mouth, chanting _nonchalance, nonchalance, nonchalance_in his head. It was harder than he thought it would be to stop caring about Kanda's perpetually rude behavior. He was so focused on his internal musings that he almost missed the ominous lack of conversation and clinking of silverware from his friends. He paused, mouth full, a glance showing him that once again he was being stared at expectantly. "What?" He mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Lavi shifted uneasily and glanced at Kanda - who Allen still hadn't looked at. "Nothin! No problem!" he said with his easy smile. Allen blinked, confused, then shrugged and went back to eating. He had too much on his brain to worry about Lavi's perpetually odd behavior.

Allen picked up a bowl of rice, dumping a heaping pile of steaming vegetables, soy sauce, and Sriracha and top before taking a huge bite. Eventually conversation turned to Miranda's most recent mission. Content to listen and doing his best to ignore the prickly awareness of Kanda sitting across from - and staring, if his instincts were right - he moved onto a stack of waffles covered in maple syrup and strawberries.

"So, Yuu, how was your latest mission?"

Allen inwardly sighed as the sound of Mugen being unsheathed and pointed at Lavi's neck reached his ears. "Idiot. Don't. Call. Me. That."

From the corner of his eye Allen saw Lavi laughing innocently and waving his hands in front of him. "Okay, okay, jeez! Don't get so upset. How was your latest mission _Kanda_."

"Che" was the only response he got before the Allen heard Kanda pick up his fork and begin eating again. Eggs and toast, presumably, since that was what he generally ate for breakfast. Allen wasn't positive, though, because he still hadn't looked at him. Instead he had kept his eyes firmly on his food. As Allen finished swallowing his last bite he realized the table was once again silent. With a sigh, he looked up again to see Lavi studying him thoughtfully.

"_What?"_He said, irritated with the strange behavior of his friends that morning.

Lavi laughed nervously and rubbed his neck. "Nothing, nothing, it's just...well..." Lavi cleared his throat and looked down. "Usually you yell at Kanda for being rude."

Allen froze for a moment, but was proud of himself for keeping his face neutral as he finally turned his head to look at Kanda. He looked the same as always. Blue black hair tied back out of his face, Mugen strapped to his back, Exorcist uniform impeccable. Those dark eyes were boring into him, and Allen saw the question there. Kanda Yuu was just as interested as Lavi was. For a moment those eyes held him, and Allen almost forgot what he had decided last night. Then Kanda scoffed and went back to his food, and the spell was broken.

Allen felt the same anger that had consumed him last night crawl from his belly into his throat, and he fought to stay composed. "It no longer matters to me what Kanda does or does not do." he said in a dull voice as he stood and began to collect his dishes. "If you don't like how impolite he is, I suggest you stop trying to speak to him."

Allen ignored the shocked faces of his friends, and carefully turned towards the garbage can so as not to drop the mountain of breakfast dishes. After safely delivering them to the kitchen staff, he made his way to the exit, but stopped in the doorway to smile brightly and wave at his friends who were still sitting at the table. "Bye Lavi! See you later Miranda and Toma!" He was relieved to see them wave back - if not a little dumbly, before he turned and walked away, intent on finding Komui or Lenalee to see if they needed anything from him before he went to train.

"Wow." Lavi said after he had left. "I've never seen him that way." He snuck a glance at Kanda, who was currently very interested in his last piece of toast. "Yu must have really pissed him off!"

Miranda frowned as Kanda growled and stood to leave. She nibbled on her lip for a moment, wavering as the young samurai began to walk away. "K-Kanda!" She called. For a moment she thought he would keep walking. Instead, he stopped and slowly turned his cold eyes on her.

Miranda lifted her chin and met them with her own gaze. What was the point of being an exorcist if she couldn't even stand up to her own comrades? "I think you should apologize. You obviously hurt his feelings yesterday."

"Che. What do i care about the bean sprouts feelings?" He said before swinging around and resuming his stride.

"I think you care very much. And if you aren't careful, soon his act will become real, and he truly will no longer care about what you are feeling. Think very carefully before letting his friendship go, Yuu." Kanda's stride faltered, and Lavi tensed his muscles, ready to defend Miranda from Kanda's outburst that was sure to come. But he simply squared his shoulders and continued walking.

"Wha - so she can call you Yu and I can't?" Lavi yelled, ignoring Miranda's whispered goodbye and Toma's restraining hand on his shoulder. What was wrong with everyone, anyway?

Hi all...not sure how often I'll be able to update, but I'll try to do it promptly. Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated. :)

So pointed out that I apparently had a stroke and renamed Toma Mike...though I'm still convinced the subtitles did it! Or maybe I am watching too much anime and it's all blurring together? Anyway, I fixed it. Oopie.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**So pointed out that I apparently had a stroke and renamed Toma Mike...though I'm still convinced the subtitles did it! Or maybe I am watching too much anime and it's all blurring together? Anyway, I fixed it. Oopie.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and alerts - you guys seriously rock my world!**

**Disclaimer: I am not the owner of D. Gray Man!**

Allen had just arrived back from a mission in Germany and was on his way to check in with Komui and hand over the innocence that he had acquired. Though there were the usual number of Akuma that had been plaguing the exorcist's every move, Allen had somehow escaped with just a few bumps and bruises. He figured that it was because there had been no level twos in sight this time. Maybe they had destroyed them all. His lips twitched at the thought, already knowing that the answer was _no_. The truth was a Finder had pretty much stumbled upon the strange phenomena taking place in the village and had immediately called in to headquarters. Allen was pretty sure the Earl simply had not had a chance to gather his forces en masse.

Allen sighed and tiredly rubbed his eyes. It was his second solo mission in as many weeks, and he was exhausted. The Millenium Earl and Noah Family had been hitting the evil deeds hard, and everyone was being kept busy. Luckily there hadn't been any fatalities in the order since Juan.

"Oi! Allen! Wait up!" The young exorcist stopped and turned towards Toma, who was walking quickly down the stone hallway with a white clad boy of around eighteen. They slowed their walk as they approached, and Allen could tell by the crinkling of his eyes that Toma was smiling.

"Good Morning, Toma!" Allen said with a tired but genuine smile. "You're not on a mission, huh?"

"No, no, I'm actually showing a new initiate around." He indicated the boy next to him, and Allen was surprised to see that he was almost a full foot taller than himself. He had rakishly messy dark brown hair that flopped forward, looking perpetually in danger of blocking two twinkling green eyes hidden behind thin wire framed spectacles. His skin was a dark olive color that hinted at a South American origin, and his smile was open and slightly crooked.

"This is Alex. I wanted to introduce him to you. Alex, this is Allen." Allen reached out his right still-gloved hand, smile brightening. He couldn't help it - this boy just looked so friendly, like it would be hard _not_ to be happy around him. He had a firm handshake that wasn't over the top, and Allen found himself immediately liking the new Finder.

"Do you guys mind walking with me?" Allen asked. "I've got to make a delivery to Komui."

"Sure," Toma said. They turned back towards the science department, keeping alert for possible disturbances of the crazy robot variety. "Most new initiates have been told too many tall tales about how scary and cranky exorcists are. I thought it would do him good to be introduced to the friendly ones first."

Allen laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, glancing over to Toma. "Have you introduced him to Lenalee or Lavi yet? Though Lavi might be scarily friendly..." Allen mused, lip quirking at Toma's burst of laughter and Alex's questioning look as they turned the corner into a hallway and Komui's open office door came into sight.

"Yes, Lavi does tend to make an impression," Toma said, eyes still crinkling in amusement. Allen quickened his footsteps to pull slightly ahead of his companions so he could turn into Komui's office without a traffic jam. His head was turned so that he was looking at Toma over his shoulder as he took a right into the office, and he wasn't really paying attention to where he was walking. Allen's first clue that the way wasn't clear was the slight widening of Toma's eyes, and a warning noise from Alex. His next clue was less subtle when he ran straight into someone. The force of the collision had him bouncing backwards, eyes wide and barely catching sight of a coat that matched his as he futilely flailed his arms to regain balance. Allen closed his eyes as he realized he was going to fall, but a firm grip on his upper arms stopped his progression towards the floor, and he was yanked forwards against a firm chest. The air left his lungs in a whoosh, and as he struggled to replenish his oxygen, he caught a whiff of a floral scent. One that he recognized from countless missions, fights, and hauling each other around after injuries. Dazed, Allen opened his eyes, slowly craning his head up to meet those of the person he was currently squashed against. Dark orbs bored into him, and he stared back, transfixed and unable to move, a faint blush forming on his pale cheek bones. His hands were resting palm down on Kanda's upper chest, arms trapped between them. It had been weeks since he had spoken more than a polite, emotionless greeting to Kanda, disappointment sharp as he realized the other exorcist didn't seem to notice the change in their relationship. It had only reaffirmed Allen's decision to distance himself from the cold man, though right now he was having trouble remembering his reasons.  
After long moments, Kanda spoke. "Idiot bean sprout. Watch where you're going."  
Allen blinked, and then glared, his usual response of "It's Allen, jerk!" dying on his tongue as his senses came back to him. He inwardly cursed the blush on his cheeks that he couldn't hide.  
Kanda's eyebrows raised as Allen's face went from annoyed to neutral as he took a shaky step backwards and bowed his head. "Sorry, Kanda. I was not watching where I was going."  
Allen lifted his head, and was surprised to see annoyance flicker across Kanda's face before going cold. "Che," was his only response before stepping around Allen, pausing for a moment to look at Alex before walking briskly down the hallway. Allen watched him go for a moment, feeling numb, before he shuffled forward into Komui's office.  
Reaching into an inner pocket of his jacket, he pulled out the innocence and handed it to Komui, pasting a smile on his face and trying to ignore the whispering of Toma and Alex outside in the doorway.  
"Who was that?" Alex whispered.  
"One of the scary ones," Toma said back.  
There was a pause as Alex considered Toma's words. "Is Allen afraid of him?"  
"No, Allen is angry with him."

Allen was woken the next morning by a knock at his door. He blinked and sat up, taking a moment to stretch before swinging his legs over the side of the bed to sit sleepily and rub a hand through his hair. "Just a moment," he said over a yawn, a glance out the window telling him it was about mid-morning, and that he had slept for a good five hours.

After his run in with Kanda he had been in a subdued mood. Not even Toma's company cheered him, and everyone else was out on a mission. Surprisingly it had been Alex who had cheered him up while he ate his usual fare. The boy was funny, and had a way of lighting up those around him that was rare in this world. Allen had appreciated his enthusiasm for life, and was able to shower and go to bed in a better mood than he would have managed on his own.

Allen stood and shuffled towards the door as he adjusted his pajama bottoms, grabbing a shirt off the back of his chair as he passed it and pulling it haphazardly over his head, probably causing his grey hair to stick up even more than it already was. He didn't want to chance that his visitor was Lenalee and answer the door with a bare chest. Not only would it be rude, but he would spend the day running from Komui's latest Komlin.

When he pulled open the door it was not Lenalee standing impatiently waiting for him. It was one of the last people he would expect. Dark eyes slowly moved down his torso then back up, a smirk forming on the lips of the pale Japanese man in front of him.

Allen's eyes widened. "K-Kanda? What are you -"

"We have a mission. Komui wants to see us in his office." Kanda's gaze flicked to his hair. "After you're ready, of course."

Allen glared. Was Kanda _laughing _at him? What did he expect, impeccable hair first thing in the morning? Okay, it was mid morning, but still! Before he could remember his mantra of _nonchalance_, he had barked out a terse "fine," and slammed the door in Kanda's face. He couldn't be positive, but he was pretty sure he had seen satisfaction cross the other man's face before the large piece of wood had clicked shut.

Taking a deep breath, Allen turned and leaned against the door, banging the back of his head gently against it. What was wrong with him that he couldn't seem to keep his emotions under wrap around the annoying Japanese man? Sure, he was a jerk, but Allen's mentor had been General Cross, after all. It's not like he wasn't used to jerks. He knew all about them, and was pretty good at ignoring their antics.

Shaking his head, Allen moved purposely towards his bathroom, resigned to skipping his morning regime. _I'm sure I'll get plenty of exercise on our mission,_ he thought. _I always do._ He stomach flip flopped at the thought of a mission with Kanda. He knew it probably meant a long train ride in a small compartment, a shared room at an inn, and a lot of footwork as they searched for innocence. Maybe Kanda would pull his 'I work better alone' whiny crap and Allen wouldn't have to deal with him. The thought didn't make him as happy as it should have.

***  
On the bright side, Toma was the finder assigned to travel with them. They were heading to a very, very small village outside of Germany. Komui, after much shuffling of paperwork and avoidance of work, had finally been forced to quit putting off the inevitable mountain of paperwork he had to deal with after giving them their orders by the business end of Mugen.

"Allen! Are you going to just let him point that at me?" Komui had screeched from behind the pile of papers he was using as a shield. Allen had simply shrugged and stared steadfastly at the wall behind Komui.

"Right." The head of the science department had straightened, an uncharacteristically serious face changing his features into someone you might actually expect to hold such an important job. "Is this going to be a problem?" Komui asked, gesturing between the two exorcists standing before him before steepling his fingers in front of them to give them a firm look.

Allen had straightened, cheeks going red at the rebuke. "Is what going to be a problem?"

Komui sighed as Kanda crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the floor. "This little tiff you seem to be in. If you can't effectively do your job while working together..."

"We'll be fine." Kanda snapped. "The bean sprout just has his girlie panties in a knot. We're both good exorcists, we can handle it."

Allen just stared at him, mouth opening and closing, torn between shock and pleasure that Kanda had called him a good exorcist, and outrage at every other word that had left the older man's lips.

"Allen? Do you agree?" Komui asked.

"Y-yes," he said, swinging around to face Komui. "We're not in a fight at all."

Komui had looked at him, obviously doubtful, before finally nodding and relaxing his stance. "Like I said, you'll be disembarking from the train at a small village called canyon's edge. That is not, however, where you will be spending most of your time. As you can guess from its name, the village is at the edge of a canyon - well, about a mile from the edge of a canyon - a very large one at that. During the summer they have a lot of tourist activity because of it. This year there have been reports of a strange scent emitting from the canyon, and some...phenomena."

Allen sighed. "What sort of phenomena?"

Komui shrugged. "Apparently people fall asleep if they breathe in too much of the scent."

"Fall asleep? That's it? What makes you think it's innocence and not some airborne particle or natural gas leak?" Kanda asked, the annoyance in his voice making it clear that he thought his time was being wasted.

"Because finders have checked for all of those things. And gas masks don't keep them safe - they all end up falling asleep if there is too much exposure. So far there have not been any Akuma reports, though I would expect them soon."

Allen nodded. "Yes, they never seem to be far away, do they?"

Komui had smiled, and sent them on their way with Toma. Half an hour later found the three of them sprinting towards the train on the tracks below them before making a wild leap off of the bridge to land on the top of the moving cars. Allen didn't understand why Komui had to drag the meetings out to the point where they were performing death defying acts just to catch the train.

After making their way into the train the three were shown to their cabin. Toma took up his customary spot outside the door with his deck of cards. Allen thought about staying with him and chatting, but Kanda's mocking look changed his mind, and face neutral he plopped down in his seat, promptly closing his eyes and pretending to attempt sleep.

A few minutes passed in silence until Kanda's voice jerked Allen's eyes open. "How are we supposed to get close to the innocence without falling asleep?"

Allen thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "I don't know...maybe Mugen's attack can push the tainted air back long enough for us to neutralize whatever it is that has caused the innocence to react this way."

Kanda frowned, and Allen noticed the lines the expression put between his eyebrows. "Yes, but the Finders couldn't detect anything in the air. I wonder if it's truly particles that can be pushed, or if they are impervious to physical attacks?"

"Whatever it is, we won't know until we get there," Allen said, pulling his eyes from the crease before he did something silly like reach across to smooth it out. Silence descended upon the small car and Allen allowed his eyes to close again. He was still tired from his last mission.

A small sound that could have been Kanda sighing woke Allen from a slight doze. "You're not actually still angry with me? You act like you've never been punched before." Kanda snapped. Allen stared at the handsome man scowling in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest in disbelief.

"You - you think that's why I'm angry? Kanda, you are an idiot." Allen said as his fists clenched at his sides and his cheeks flushed with color. How could he have ever convinced himself that he could feel only neutral towards this jerk?

Kanda straightened. "Don't call me an idiot."

"Than stop acting like one!" Allen said, standing up flinging the door open, making Toma look up in surprise. He slammed it behind him before Kanda could say anything else infuriating and stomped to sit in the next car over, finding an empty seat for the duration of the train ride, the words _You are not my friend_ echoing in his head.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Thanks for all the reviews, guys! I know last chapter was short, but this one is pretty good sized. It took me so long to get it done because...wait for it...I was at Comic-Con in San Diego! It was freaking awesome, and totally inspired me to get my nerd on! So here's chapter 3!

Allen was still angry with Kanda when the train started to slow down on its approach of Canyon's Edge. He had managed to get a few more hours of sleep but the day had not looked any different after some rest. Sure Kanda had been a jerk for punching him, but exorcists were a pretty rowdy bunch, and a punch could hardly compare to the damage they had all taken in their quest to find innocence and set the souls of Akuma free. Did Kanda really not understand what he had done wrong? Allen was pretty sure he had let him know in more ways than one. Maybe he hadn't come right out and said it, but -

"Allen! It's time to get off the train!" Toma said, sounding slightly exasperated. Allen winced and looked up to his right. He had been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't noticed Toma and Kanda had come up beside him, and had probably been speaking to him.

"Are your ears cursed, too? I said your name three times," Kanda snapped, obviously still angry about the idiot comment.

Ire flashed through Allen, cold in its intensity. Deciding he had already blown the whole _nonchalance_ cover with his earlier outburst, Allen did not hold back his anger any longer. "No, I just didn't have anything important to listen to." He said as he stood up and moved towards the door, thanking a wary looking Toma as he handed Allen the bag he had left behind in the cabin after leaving in a huff. Allen allowed his shoulder to barely push Kanda's as he passed him, feeling a thrill as the man let out an annoyed "Che." Kanda wanted to play the jerk game? Allen could totally do that.

The doors to the train were open, and there weren't a lot of people trying to get on or off the train. The town really _was_ very small, with just a tiny platform and a one room hut serving as the station. Two benches sat empty beneath the extended awning of the little building, and beyond that Allen could see what looked like the main street of the town disappearing through a copse of trees on the other side. Small shops and houses lined the throughway, and he couldn't help but think the little village was nice with its whitewashed walls and rolling green hills as a backdrop. He couldn't see a canyon, though. Maybe it was beyond the trees? And weren't canyons supposed to be in desert regions?

The platform was empty save one Finder standing impatiently on the worn wooden planks. His hair was long and greasy looking, matching the blonde goatee he was sporting on his chin. He was short and squat, and the white bandage wrapped around the upper part of his head was a stark contrast against his tan skin. He was short and thin, looking as though he would prefer a library to the field.

Toma had spotted him and was moving forward with crinkled eyes and a hand stretched out. "Jean! I heard someone from your branch was here, but I didn't realize it would be you!"

"Toma!" Allen couldn't help the small jump as a booming voice came from the small man. He ignored the huff of amusement from Kanda at his jumpiness and moved forward to stand next to Toma, his usual cheerful smile easily coming to his face as the two finders enthusiastically pumped hands.

"And who is this?" The booming voice asked. Toma introduced Allen and Kanda. Jean gave them both animated greetings that were returned by Allen. Kanda just grunted.  
"That means hello in jerk," Allen said cheerfully, ignoring Kanda's glare. "What happened to your head?"

Jean touched the bandage on his head with a rueful expression on his face. "Oh, I got a little exuberant in testing the phenomenon. Ended up falling asleep on my feet, and I hit my head when I fell."

Toma frowned. "If you fell asleep, how did you get out?"

Jean chuckled. "I know I'm a bit of an idiot when I get into my research, but I'm not _that_ much of one!" Anyone who goes into the sleep zone goes with a rope around his waist and a team of finders on the edge to pull us free of danger if we fall asleep."

Allen nodded. He had been wondering that himself on the train ride over. "So no progress on discovering the source?"

Jean started to walk towards the stairs leading down the platform, motioning for them to follow. "Well, yes and no. We haven't been able to get close to the source. We aren't fast enough to make it there and back before we fall asleep. We are hoping that an exorcist," he motioned towards Allen and Kanda, "will either be less easily affected due to being Accommodators, or that you will be fast enough to make it to the source and remove the innocence before succumbing to sleep. We have, however, pinpointed the likely cause."

"Oh?" Toma asked, and Kanda straightened beside Allen, obviously interested.

"Mmm," Jean said as they began walking on the dirt road and into the village. "After interviewing members of the village we discovered an old legend concerning a small mound of daisies that grow at the bottom of the ravine."

"Of course," Kanda mumbled, "another legend come true."

Allen took a moment to glare at him and adjust his stride so that he switched to Jean's other side and was no longer walking next to Kanda. Jean continued talking as if the whole encounter hadn't happened. Allen figured he was probably used to cranky exorcists by now. He was pretty sure he heard Toma sigh, though, and winced at how childish he and Kanda must seem.

"According to local myth, the daisies were planted by a mother who was awaiting her son to come home from war. When the war ended and he did not come, she lay in the daisies and slept. No one could wake her despite the efforts of the town doctor, and so she remained sleeping for two years, until one day her son returned. Apparently he had been taken a prisoner of war, and was only released after the two countries became allies in a later skirmish. When he found his mother lying asleep in a hospital, he sat beside her and took her hand. Only when he touched her did she finally wake. Apparently the daisies have bloomed every year since, and it is said that those who await the return of a loved one can find peace by sleeping with the daisies. I believe innocence somehow found its way into the daisies and is now causing this situation through the power of the villager's combined belief in the legend."

There was silence for a moment as the three pondered the story they had just heard. "But, everyone who is falling asleep isn't awaiting a loved one, are they?" Allen asked.

Jean shook his head. "No, but I don't believe it is that specific. Probably a side effect of being a group mental effort. Ah, here we are at the inn. Sorry but I could only get one room. It is tourist season. I'll share my room with Toma, and I figured that Kanda and Allen could share the other."

Allen just shrugged and looked away, determined not to embarrass himself further. It wasn't like they would be there very long. Knowing Kanda he wouldn't stop until they had the stupid innocence, anyway.

"Fine," Kanda said, reaching out to take the key Jean was offering him.

"Thank you," Allen said as he accepted his room key. "Have there been any signs of Akuma yet?" He asked.

Jean shook his head thoughtfully. "No. We spread a rumor that there is a natural gas leak, and that we are scientists here to investigate. I think we've hidden its presence fairly well so far."

Kanda grunted his approval, and Allen grinned at the cleverness of the Finders. Maybe he could have a break for just one mission. "Well, give us twenty minutes to get cleaned up, and then you can take us to the site."

He stepped into the well kept but small Inn, stopping to appreciate the clean white walls and antique furniture in the sitting room before following Kanda to a set of stairs. They were silent as they walked towards their room. Allen wasn't sure how he was going to make it through this mission if it lasted more than a day or two. He solidified his resolve to get to the innocence that very day - even if he had to sleep walk to get there.

***

As he stood at the top of the Canyon looking down, Allen couldn't help but lose a bit of his confidence. The walk to the trail leading down to the bottom had been long, dusty, hot, and frustrating as he had been forced in the company of the person who was making him feel so sour in the first place. The shocking greenery of the town had dropped off after about half a mile of walking through the tree line. Jean had explained that the town was on a sort of oasis, the plants and village getting their water from a spring that fed out of the ground and into a small pond at the edge of the village. When they had left there were children swimming to escape the heat, and Allen wished he could join them. He had spent too much time with General Cross traipsing across places with all sorts of different weather to be truly bothered by the heat, but that didn't stop the water from looking nice and cool.

Right now Kanda was drilling Jean on 'the perimeter.' The finders had been able to make it about a quarter mile from where the villagers had told them the daisies were located. Jean led them down a steep but easily navigable trail as he talked. "We can make it about a half mile down the trail before we hit the perimeter. We have rope and a Finder on duty at all times to turn civilians away with the natural gas leak story."

Timcampy fluttered around Allen's head, clearly interested in the sheer limestone rock on the left of the trail, darting in and out of dips and crevasses. Small stones and dry, haggard looking plants and bushes were scattered about the dusty landscape, and Allen was careful to watch his step lest he lose his footing and fall into the canyon. That was why he didn't notice Timcampy's frantic flying next to a big boulder with a large, wise looking sage brush nestled next to it. The gollum was flicking in and out from between the the two, obviously excited about something. Allen paused and glanced at his three companions who were walking about five feet in front of him. With a shrug - he obviously wasn't going to get lost - he leaned his weight onto the hand he had resting on the boulder and instead of walking past it continued to follow its curve towards the bush.

"Timcampy wha-" Allen's speech was cut off by his air coming out in a small squeak as the ground dropped out from under him and he found himself sliding into a steep tunnel hidden between the bush and boulder. His surprise was short lived as he shot into darkness. There was barely a moment of suspension in thin air before he landed with a painful thump on dirt packed ground. His lungs worked frantically for a moment to regain the air that had been pushed from him as he heard Toma's worried voice calling down to him.

"I-I'm fine," Allen wheezed, struggling to his feet only to hit his head hard enough on the ceiling of his enclosure to see stars. He moaned out a small huff of pain as he grabbed his head. "Ow," he whispered.

"Bean sprout, what are you doing down there?" A sardonic voice called, and Allen scowled.

"Well, I saw this hole in the ground and thought 'what a perfect chance to get away from that jerk!" Bending low at the waist Allen stuck his hands out to feel the walls around him, praying that whatever had made this its home was long gone.

"We've got a job to do, so could you stop screwing around and come up here?"

Allen sighed when he realized the space was barely a three by three space and began feeling for the hole he had popped in from. His questing fingers felt a give in the dimly lit space and he scrambled at the edge. Hoisting himself up into the hole, Allen was able to work his way up into the full sunlight, blinking until his eyes adjusted and waving a fluttering Timcampy out of his face.

Toma offered him a hand which Allen gratefully took, looking down to take in his dirt covered appearance. With a sigh he began slapping at his coat, ignoring the annoyed face of Kanda and the amused one of Jean.

"Is he always like this?" Jean asked.

"Yes. I'm going to get to the perimeter before daylight is gone," Kanda said, and turned to stomp his way down the path.

"He is such a jerk," Allen mumbled, hitting at the dirt on his person with more force than was necessary.

Toma's eyes crinkled as he tried to help Allen get the dirt from his hair. "Well, yes, but I think you just scared him. I don't see him move as fast as he did to the edge of that hole very often."

Allen rolled his eyes. "He was probably just worried about losing the innocence in my arm." He muttered. Jean guffawed and Toma shrugged, replying with only an ominous "maybe."

Allen wrinkled his brow in confusion, but didn't have a chance to ask for elaboration before Jean's booming voice cut in. "Well Kanda is right - we need to get to the perimeter before nightfall. This trail is hell to navigate in the dark." Allen followed the two Finders as they fell back into conversation in front of him, trying to ignore the new aches from his most recent attack of clumsiness.

"How's your resident genius?" An excited Jean asked Toma. "Is his latest Komlin as brilliant as he claimed it was in his last letter?"

"It was." Toma said. "Until he let it loose on the second floor and Lenalee broke it into four pieces."

Jean shook his head sadly. "Poor Komui. Nobody ever seems to understand the true amazing thought that goes into his inventions."

Toma made a noncommittal sound, and Allen felt his eyebrow twitch. Seriously? Komui had a _fan_? Allen liked him and all, but the man was _crazy_ when it came to his sister and his inventions.

In about fifteen minutes they rounded a bend to find Kanda in deep conversation with a young female Finder with long black hair and a petite, pretty face. Her coat hugged her curves in a way that screamed feminine, but her stance - crossed arms, cocked hip, and a smirk - said attitude. Kanda was smirking back at her, and Allen felt an odd twinge of annoyance that he decided to ignore. Why should he care who the jerk talked to?

And then Kanda was shrugging, and reaching down to pick up a rope and tie it around his waist. Jean's pace picked up and he raised his voice to even louder levels. "Wait a moment, Kanda -"

But it was too late. Kanda had taken off at top speed down the trail, disappearing over a small incline. Allen swore and broke into a light trot to follow after, but was stopped by a small feminine hand on his chest. "Uh-uh, exorcist boy. I told your boyfriend, and I'm telling you, no one passes without a rope."  
Allen scowled and turned on the pretty girl. "And who are you?" He said rudely, feeling an immediate dislike for the girl in front of him. He watched the rope next to her as it unwound at a ridiculously fast pace from its spool impatiently.

The girl's smirk grew, and she opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by an irritated Jean. "Yin, I asked you not to let anyone past until we had tested their tolerance to the phenomenon!"

Crossing her arms and looking away with a 'hmph,' she merely shrugged. "And I'm supposed to stop an exorcist?" She asked.

Allen sighed and went to move past her to follow Kanda, worry knotting at his gut, but Yin's hand shot out to stop him again. "I said wait here! If he gets into trouble, we'll pull him back to safety!

"What happened to _and I'm supposed to stop an exorcist?" _Allen asked, raising his voice an active, cocking his hip out and flopping his hand forward in mockery.

"Now Allen," Jean said, disapproval obvious. "I know you are worried about Kanda, but he'll be fine. No danger, really."

Allen blushed as he realized how he must sound. He was never this rude to anybody. He bowed his head slightly and mumbled an apology at Yin, getting only a raised eyebrow in response. Puffing air out of his lungs, he turned his attention to the rope, which seemed to be slowing significantly.

After 30 excruciatingly long seconds, the rope stopped moving all together. Biting his lip worriedly, he watched for Kanda to appear. Three tense minutes passed before Jean sighed and moved towards a handle sticking out of the rope spool. "Well, he made it further than anyone else, but he still didn't make it."

"Didn't make it? Like he fell asleep? Will he be okay?" Allen asked as Yin shouldered past him and rolled her eyes, kneeling next to the rope to tie a small yellow bit of yarn where it stopped feeding from the spool.

"I told you your boyfriend would be fine, cookie."

Allen glared at her. "It's _Allen._ And Kanda is not my boyfriend."

She simply responded with a smirk that Allen was _really_ beginning to hate as she stood and dusted her hands off on her pants.

"What is the string for?" Toma asked in an obvious attempt to change the conversation as Jean began to wind the rope back up.

"Marks how far he got. You know, for data - the doc loves his data," Yin said as she pointed her thumb at Jean.

Allen scowled. An exorcist was lying out in the middle of god-knows-what situation, defenseless, and they were collecting _data?_ His foot tapping impatiently, Allen crossed his arms over his chest as the rope was slowly recoiled. Yin raised a dark eyebrow at Allen's foot, but he silenced her with a glare, something he had already figured out was a difficult undertaking.

After ten painfully long minutes a soft dragging noise could be heard from around the bend Kanda had disappeared behind. Allen took an anxious step forward as a dusty exorcist-colored lump came into view, its form scraping against the canyon wall as the rope drug it forward. Yin clucked at him for getting too close, obviously enjoying his distress as she put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

Kanda's prone form hit a rock, pausing a moment before the rope pulled him free. Unable to handle watching the body in front of him be battered any longer, Allen shrugged Yin's hand from his shoulder and leaped past the perimeter, marked with yellow flags, and ran towards Kanda's body. Immediately he felt a strange pull at his consciousness, but he was able to ignore it as he jumped and sprinted the 100 remaining feet to Kanda, who was still slowly being pulled by the rope.

Without missing a beat he swooped down and picked him up, barely staggering at the weight, and ran back to the finders waiting past the little yellow flags, ignoring Timcampy's fluttering next to his shoulder.

He could feel the pull of power at his legs and eyelids, but he made it to Toma without danger of falling asleep, letting out a relieved sigh as he carefully laid Kanda's body down and the drowsiness lifted from his body as quickly as it had come.

He anxiously sat on his heels next to Kanda, ignoring when his three companions did the same. Kanda's face had a few small scrapes and bumps and was covered in streaks of dust. Allen reached forward and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead to get a closer look at a cut that was bleeding profusely, giving a sigh of relief that it wasn't deep. The breath of air turned into a squeak as Kanda's hand wrapped around his wrist and his eyes popped open.

"Bean Sprout. Why are you petting me?"

"I'm not petting you! I'm looking at the blood that you have all over you! And what the hell were you thinking, running into the zone without consulting me first!" Allen yelled, cheeks red, as Kanda struggled to sit up and turned to glare at him.

"I don't need your permission to fulfill my mission."

"_Fulfill your mission?_ I'm sorry, but I don't see any evidence of you fulfilling your mission! Unless your mission was to collect a bunch of _dirt and blood_, and then, well, wow! Good job! Mission complete!" Allen said, anger now coloring his cheeks instead of embarrassment and arms waving with every word.

Kanda returned his glare. "I haven't yet, but I'm close. I was probably ten feet from the innocence when I fell asleep."

Allen's anger dropped as excitement took over. "Really? Ten feet? So you had a visual?"

"Mmm," Kanda replied, looking down at the dirt on his jacket with distaste.

A rustle of paper drew Allen's attention to Jean, who had flipped open his notebook and was furiously scribbling. "And what did you see?" He asked before looking up at Kanda eagerly.

Luckily Kanda didn't see his face, or Jean never would have gotten an answer. It would have made him too happy, Allen thought grumpily. "The field of daisies, just like you thought," he said, and the finder made a pleased nose in the back of his throat as he scribbled away. "In the middle was a daisy that was much larger than the others, emitting a glowing yellow dust. Pollen, I'd assume, and the cause of our problem."

Jean stopped writing, brow creased. "If it's emitting something, why are our tests not picking anything up?"

Kanda shrugged and gracefully stood, the others scrambling in his wake to get up. "Don't know and don't care. That's your job." He crossed his arms and frowned at the perimeter. "I think this time, if I use Mugen maybe I can -"

"No." Allen said flatly.

Kanda spun around and glared at Allen. "Excuse me?" His voice was deadly, and anyone else would have cringed away.

"It's my turn. Anyway, I have a plan. If I can get within ten feet -"

"You can't. You're slower than me."

Allen let out a frustrated puff of air. "Well, yes, if we're talking agility, you're much faster. But I can keep up with you if we're sprinting in a straight line."

"Oh my heavens!" A voice said next to them, and both men were pulled from their glaring contest to look questioningly at Yin. "An exorcist who will admit someone is better than them at something? Shocking!" The girl had her hand to her chest and was looking at the sky with an amazed expression. "Though I guess it makes sense..." Her expression turned sly. "After all, he _is _your boyfriend."

Allen scowled at her. He really did not like that girl. Before he could reply, however, Kanda jumped in. "You told her I'm your _boyfriend?_"

"Wha? No!" He held his hands in front of them, waving them frantically. "Nonononono. She's just being a jerk! Why do you keep saying that, anyway?"

Yin shrugged. "Because you don't like it, I suppose." She then turned away as Allen started sputtering and Kanda scoffed and walked towards the perimeter.

"Uh oh." Toma's worried voice had Allen turning towards him in question. "They figured out our bluff." Allen followed his gaze to the sky, and his face lost all its color. Akuma. A lot of them, heading towards them at an alarming rate. And it looked like there were some level twos.

"Shit," Yin said, and Jean wholeheartedly agreed with her sentiments if the swear words coming out of his mouth were anything to judge by.

"The three of you get to safety!" Allen yelled, and was relieved when they picked up their bags and scrambled up the slope to obey. He hated it when they stayed behind to help, they just ended up being a liability. His thoughts jumped to Juan for a moment, but he ignored the flash of guilt. He had innocence to collect.

Ignoring Kanda's protests, he took off full tilt past the perimeter, swearing as sleepiness immediately began dragging at him, tempting him to slow his pace. Allen ignored it as best he could, maintaining the full sprint he had started out with. They had run out of time. His footing didn't falter and he slid through the bend and continued running, barely taking in the scenery passing him as he pulled air into his lungs.

Drowsiness was clawing at him, demanding he give in, and Allen knew he couldn't resist for long. He prayed in his head that he would see the daisy field soon, and relief was heavy in his heart as he crested a hill and saw the waving flowers below him. Standing proudly in the middle was the large daisy Kanda had described. Fifty feet. his pace had slowed, and sleep beckoned. He struggled to keep his eyes open. Thirty feet. Twenty five. He wasn't going to make it to ten feet, he knew. Luckily, he didn't need to.

15 feet. "Innocence, activate!" He meant to yell, but it came out a whisper. His arm activated anyway, reaching as his pace faltered and he stumbled. His fingers were five yards away. Now two. His vision began to blacken around the edges, and his hand brushed the flower - grabbed it. Squeezed, pulled back. He had it. His eyes closed all the way and sleep took him.

A shout and the sounds of explosions woke him with a start, and he sat up, wide eyed at the scene before him. He must have only slept for a minute or two, but that was all it took. The Akuma had caught up, and the only thing between them and him was Mugen and its wielder. Kanda must have been who shouted, and now he was simply a flash in the sky as he cut akuma down in two almost as fast as they were coming...but not quite. Some were getting through and they were headed for Allen, guns already shooting their deadly bullets from round forms.

He looked down at his right arm, now its usual size, and sighed with relief at the small glowing ball of innocence in his palm before jumping out of the way of oncoming missiles and tucking it into a coat pocket. His movements were still sluggish, though, and he was barely able to avoid an attack by a second Akuma. Once again his innocence activated, and he cut down the two offenders easily. A third descended upon him, and he rolled to the right as it shot at him, easily turning his arm into a cannon and firing back a destructive blow, barely able to appreciate the freed soul as it sped up into heaven.

Many more were headed their way. Too many, he knew, especially when he noticed from the corner of his eye that Kanda had been distracted by a couple of level twos. With a curse he jumped wholeheartedly into the fray, leaping from boulders to rock faces as he cut down four more Akuma and found himself face to face with a level two. It's grizzled face was set into what looked like the body of a giant lizard on two legs. It was sporting long claws, razor sharp teeth and a tortured soul that only Allen could see within it.

It swiped at Allen where he crouched on a ledge on the rock face, and he felt the wind from its swing pass him when he leaped out of the way and heard the crash of rock breaking as its fist connected. His feet had barely touched the ground before he was changing course and propelling his body towards the Akuma, landing a solid hit to the things midsection. It screamed and flipped its body away from him, but Allen could already tell it was over. The Akuma would disintegrate in moments. He turned to jump back into the main fighting, and was stopped by intense pain in his left side. He barely had time to be shocked before his body was smashed into the rock wall with enough force to bring boulders crashing down around him.

Gasping for air, he fought to keep conscious and cursed himself for his stupidity. He should have waited until the thing was fully gone. Allen fought against the rocks that had fallen on him when he landed, gritting his teeth against the pain. If he didn't get out, he was dead. An explosion next to him and a curse from Kanda had him struggling with more determination, but the damned rocks barely shifted.

A hulking figure shifted into view, and he blinked the dust from his eyes as best he could. It was a grinning level 2, red face set into a rounded black body. "I will have that innocence," it hissed. Allen scowled and jerked at his right arm, relieved with the rock holding it down shifted.

The Akuma raised its claw, and Allen gave another big pull as it descended towards him. There - he was free - but he wasn't going to quite make it in time to block...the Akuma's arm hit him, useless, as it had been separated from its body.

Allen blinked, confused until he saw the flash of Mugen the and Akuma was suddenly two halves. Kanda knelt beside him. "Damn it, Bean Sprout, come on! We can't take them all, we've got to go!"

"Go where?" Allen asked, panting as Kanda quickly lifted him from the rubble and jumped them to the right to avoid bullets. "They'll just follow." He gritted his teeth as Kanda jumped to a ledge and crouched behind an outcropping rock for cover.

"Here." Allen reached into his pocket to grab out the innocence. "Take this and go. I'll cover you, give you time."

Kanda slapped the hand away, obviously angry. "Don't be an idiot. I won't leave you here."

Allen frowned. "I can't run, I hurt my leg when that Akuma got me. I'm sure I can fight, though. Don't worry, I won't let them get the innocence in my arm. I'll hide it if things go south. I'll hide in..." his eyes lit up. "In that small cave I found! So don't worry about that -"

His speech was cut off as Kanda picked him up and leaped from behind the rock before it exploded into a shower of dust. Allen coughed and sputtered on the dust, but Kanda barely missed a beat before he was sprinting up the path towards the village at top speed.

"K-Kanda! What are you doing? Put me down! They'll catch us, you idiot!" The man didn't even pay attention to his struggles as he ran full tilt, dozens of Akuma behind them. They passed the bend and came to the perimeter, losing sight of the Akuma for just a moment before they reappeared.

Kanda's breath was coming in harsh pants and Allen stopped his struggles as he realized he was making it harder for the man. He did not stop his yelling, however. "Kanda, I told you, we can't both make it out of here -"

"Shut up." Kanda gritted out.

Allen just glared, but did as he was told. Fine. Let them _both _die, for all he cared. Of course, he did care, and he was already reviewing scenarios that ended with Kanda somehow making it out of there. They rounded another familiar bend, bullets ricocheting around them. The Akuma disappeared from view again, and Allen saw the rock and bush from earlier that day. Instead of going past it, however, Kanda ran straight for it.

"Um - Kanda? You're going to..." But it was too late. With a yelp, they were sliding down a familiar passage and landing with an even more familiar thump on the packed dirt floor. Timcampy shot from his coat and fluttered madly about their heads, ignoring Kanda's annoyed hiss.

Allen held his breath as explosions neared them, hoping that no Akuma had rounded the bend before they had a chance to disappear. Apparently they hadn't, as the explosions kept going until they were barely vibrating the earth.

Kanda groaned and pushed himself into a sitting position against the dirt wall, and for the first time Allen realized their position. He was on Kanda's lap. And his head was resting in the crook of Kanda's neck. With a yelp and much flailing of arms, Allen struggled to push himself off of the other man, only to hit a wall and hiss in pain as his injures flared. Oh, and accidently hit Kanda in the face. His arms were crushed to his side by two very strong hands, and he was pulled forward so his face was buried in soft hair and a clammy neck.

"Bean sprout." A voice whispered in his ear, and he couldn't suppress his shiver. "What are you doing? Stop your squirming, or we will be found, and I will kill you."

Allen stilled for a moment before whispering furiously. "But I'm on your lap!"

To his surprise, Kanda's chest vibrated with a chuckle, and he stilled, surprised and pleased at the sound. "Well, we don't seem to have a lot of choice. Until help arrives we're stuck here."

"When - when do you suppose that will happen?"

"Whenever your gollum gets a message to them, I suppose." he said rather dryly.

Allen felt his cheeks redden again. Right. He could send Timcampy with a message. "Timcampy," he whispered, and held out a hand for the gollum to land on. When the fluttering device settled in his palm he gave it instructions to tell Toma where they had gone, and that they were going to need back up if they were going to make it out. As Timcampy fluttered once around his head in farewell and then darted out into the darkness, Allen sighed softly, feeling uncomfortable. He had sat up to talk to his gollum so his face was no longer buried in Kanda's hair - which apparently had lost its tie in the fall - and holding himself upright was becoming painful, especially on his injury.

He was able to hold still for all of about five seconds before he started squirming, trying to relieve some of the pressure on his hip. Kanda allowed it for all of about five seconds before Allen found himself pulled forward, the familiar floral scent filling his nose and making him wonder what shampoo Kanda used.

"Stop squirming. You're hurting my leg."

Allen held himself stiffly, glad it was dark so that Kanda could not see his blush. Kanda slowly loosened his grip and dropped his hands to his side, shifting into a more comfortable position. Allen took it as an invite to adjust how he was sitting, and turned his body a little more to the side, trying to avoid thinking about how ridiculous it was that he was sitting bridal style in Kanda's lap, and relaxed his body so that his cheek was resting on Kanda's shoulder and his nose was about half an inch from his neck.

"How long do you think it will be before back up arrives?" He whispered in case any Akuma were near.

Kanda shrugged. "Hopefully not too long. I'm guessing no one will come until morning, though."

Allen nodded. The path would be treacherous at night just to walk on, let alone fight multiple Akuma on. They sat in silence for what seemed a long time, Allen forcing himself to stay relaxed, since they probably had a good long time before help arrived. Plus Kanda was actually a pretty comfortable bed, and his body heat felt nice against the cooling night air.

Allen woke with a start a few hours later, surprised he had fallen asleep. His injured leg was stiff and throbbing, but he had been hurt so many times that he barely noticed it. Kanda's breathing was soft and deep, and Allen realized he was asleep. His internal clock was telling him it was around 3 am. Three more hours of dark. It was silent outside but for the occasional far off explosion, and Allen couldn't help but wince as he realized that the Akuma were probably destroying the canyon. So much for tourism.

Kanda's breathing changed to a rhythm that told Allen he was waking up. Good, because now that Allen was awake, he had a few questions for the other exorcist.

"Why did you save me?" He asked. Silence met his question, and he cringed at his outburst.

"Why wouldn't I have?" Kanda asked in a cool voice.

Annoyance and something else that was _not_ hurt made Allen sit up straighter and turn his head towards the other boy. "Oh, right. I suppose it was just _convenient_ for you to save me. There wouldn't be any other reason, right? Especially since we most definitely are _not_ friends."

Silence met his outburst, and then "so that's what you've been angry about." Kanda's voice said thoughtfully.

Allen glared. "What else would I be angry about?"

"That I allowed Juan to die."

The answer came so quickly that Allen knew Kanda had spoken without thinking, especially when the man stiffened in shock at what he had said. Allen held stock still for a moment, eyes widening in realization.

"You - you thought that was why I was angry?" He whispered, and Kanda shrugged.

"I say stuff like that all the time and you don't let it bother you. Well, not a lot anyway. This time the only thing that was different was Juan."

Allen felt lightheaded. Was Kanda actually having a real conversation with him? Like, about their relationship? "Well, yeah, but this time, you seemed so serious. And you had never said..._that_ before to me. Of course I don't blame you for Juan. It was my decision, after all. My fault." Allen said, voice giving away the anguish he had been feeling since it had happened.

Kanda shifted and Allen was surprised to feel a hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't." Kanda said. "I was the one who was healthy. I should have tried...I should have tried to carry both of you."

"No." Allen shook his head, feeling sick. "Then you would have died, too. That's why...that's why I didn't push it," Allen whispered, shocked at himself for saying it aloud. The truth was, Allen had felt genuinely terrified when he realized Kanda would die if he tried to save them both.  
Silence met his confession, and Allen squeezed his eyes shut. Why in the world had he just said that?

"I wouldn't have left you." Kanda whispered, and Allen's eyes flew open.

"What?"  
"I said I wouldn't have left you. Because you are my friend." Kanda snapped, and Allen couldn't help a giggle from escaping at the tone he used.  
"What's so funny?" Kanda's annoyed voice said.

"Well...usually you don't yell at someone while confessing your feelings," Allen said in a teasing tone, his heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks. Kanda did care for him!

"Che." Was the only response, and Allen relaxed back into his original position, feeling less embarrassed about pressing his nose against Kanda's neck and inhaling. To his surprise, after a moment Kanda's arms came around him. Allen forgot to breath as warmth spread through his body.  
What was Kanda doing? Friends didn't..._cuddle_. He did nothing to stop it, however, and blood began to pump faster throughout his body and a tingling sensation made its way from his stomach to spread to the rest of his body, making him shiver as it left goosebumps in its wake.

"Cold, bean sprout?" Kanda whispered, turning his head so that breath ghosted against Allen's ear. Gulping, Allen settled for a nod, feeling silky strands of hair move against his cheek as he did so.

Kanda's arms tightened around him, and his heart leapt in his chest. He wanted to pull himself closer and push away from the man all at the same time. Confusion won out, and he found himself pushing away from Kanda, though he immediately felt cold from the separation.  
"Bean Sprout?" He turned his head slightly towards the voice in the dark. Not realizing he was still so close, his nose brushed Kanda's cheek, and he froze.

They sat still for a moment, Allen feeling Kanda's heartbeat against his arm. Finally Allen spoke, voice laced with question. "Kanda, what -"

He was cut off as Kanda's lips met his own. For a moment his eyes widened in surprise, but then Kanda's lips moved against his and Allen allowed his lids to flutter shut, sensations bursting in his chest as Kanda placed small, chaste kisses on his lips. After a moment Allen leaned forward, desperate for more contact, and placed their lips firmly together.

Kanda's arms tightened against him, and Allen wound his arms around the Japanese man's neck, burying his hands in the long silky hair that he had always wanted to touch. A very small part of him was screaming a question that sounded a lot like _what are you doing?_ It wasn't hard to ignore it, however, with his lips on Kanda's and his fingers in that enticing hair.

A small moan left his mouth at the texture, and Kanda took that as an invitation, flicking his tongue out in a quick motion, barely entering Allen's mouth before retreating and licking a path on his lower lip.

Allen's body felt like it had burst into flame, and he felt pressure begin to build in his groin as he opened his mouth, giving Kanda access. Their tongues entwined together, and all rational thought left Allen's head as Kanda's hands began roaming up and down his back, fingers kneading into flesh almost painfully as he pulled Allen closer.

With a groan Allen found himself placing his hands on the wall behind Kanda's head for leverage, and without removing his lips from the other man's somehow managed to turn so he was straddling Kanda, who moaned his approval when they were able to deepen their kiss further. Allen had never heard anything like Kanda's moan before in his life. Sure, he had seen plenty of things on his travels with General Cross, but never before had something sounded so incredibly erotic before.

With an answering moan he pushed himself closer, burying his hands into the silky hair again, turning his head so that Kanda could have better access. Kanda's hands made their way to his hips and pulled. The bulge that had developed in Allen's crotch brushed deliciously against an answering hardness beneath Kanda's coat, and they both broke off the kiss to groan appreciatively. Allen panted against Kanda's mouth as he pressed his hips forward, desperate to feel the pleasure that the pressure brought again.

"Allen." Kanda's tortured voice said, and the white haired exorcist lost the last semblance of his sanity at the sound of his name coming from that voice. With a growl he resumed their kiss, pushing his tongue into Kanda's mouth, groaning as Kanda fought back for control. He pushed his hips forward again, the pleasure making stars burst behind his tightly closed eyelids. Desperate for more friction, he pulled at the hem of his coat so that it was above his hips, moaning in pleasure as Kanda's long fingers found their way beneath it and under the hem of his shirt to brush against his skin.  
Pushing his thighs further apart, Allen was able thrust his hips more firmly against Kanda's, humming at the pleasure that ran up and down his spine. Kanda broke off their kiss. "More." He whispered, and moved his hands to Allen's hips to assist him in thrusting back against him. Kanda's hips rose to meet his, and Allen cried out. They fell into a rhythm, both ignoring aches and pains in an attempt to reach their peak. Allen buried his face in Kanda's neck, gripping his shoulders for leverage as he pushed his hips forward and up, over and over, pleasure tightening his gut.

Suddenly Kanda stiffened beneath him, and he felt a pulse from beneath the other man's clothes. "Allen," he said in a choked voice, and that was all it took. Allen Walker fell over the edge, distantly hearing himself call out something that sounded suspiciously like "Yuu" as a wet spot spread beneath his pants.

Panting, Allen flopped against Kanda, dizzy from his exertions and the pain that was making itself known. Slowly his heartbeat slowed, and a small voice inside of him began to grow in strength. What in the world had he just done? And with _Kanda Yuu?_

Before Allen could fully panic, however, he felt something feather light brush against his cheek. He frowned, confused. Both of Kanda's hands were still holding tightly to his hips - apparently Kanda had not yet recovered - so it wasn't him.

With a start Allen realized it was Timcampy. Just as he was lifting his head to warn his companion, a voice called down to them.  
"Oi! Yuu! Bean Sprout! You guys down there?"


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews, everybody! I appreciate it! And don't worry...there's plenty more drama to come! :P

Disclaimer: I don't own D Gray Man! I just make the characters naughty!

Kanda jerked in surprise beneath him at the sound of Lavi's voice calling down to them. "Shit," he whispered. Allen was holding stock still in shock. Oh god, had Lavi heard them? If he had been standing there for more than two minutes, there was no way he could have mistaken the sounds they were making for anything other than...his cheeks flushed with color. Allen couldn't even _think_ the word, it was too mortifying.

"Allen? Are you guys down there?" Lavi's voice had taken a tone of worry, pulling Allen from his embarrassed internal monologue.

"Uh - yeah! Yeah, sorry, we'll be right up!" Allen winced at how hoarse his voice sounded. "We were sleeping!"

"Well, you might want to hurry! The Akuma spotted me, and they're on their way over here!"

Allen struggled to his feet, grimacing at the cooling spot in his pants, giving a prayer of thanks for his long coat that would hide the evidence of what they had done. Running a hand through his hair to put it into some semblance of order, he fumbled around for the entrance to the cave's hole, doing his best to clear his mind of what had just happened for later contemplation. Right now he had some Akuma to fight.

***  
With Lavi and Bookman's help they had quickly disposed of the Akuma, though the destruction that the creatures and wreaked on the area while searching for Allen and Kanda was shocking. Huge holes marred the rock face, and where there had once been a slightly navigable trail there was now rubble, huge boulders, and places where the whole thing had been wiped out. This made getting back to the ridge difficult and exhausting, and it took longer than Allen would have liked. He kept shooting fervent glances at Kanda, who looked just the same as he always did - unconcerned and slightly annoyed. Allen was thankful for Lavi, who filled what would have been an uncomfortable silence with his usual chatter, stopping occasionally only to argue with the Bookman. Timcampy fluttered around Allen's head, distracting him when he felt his exhausted body start to rebel.

The throbbing in his leg had increased to an almost unbearable level, the rough terrain of the ravaged landscape making the injury flair. Why was he always getting hurt? At least it hadn't been his arm this time. Allen shivered as he remembered the torture that was Komui's treatment of any injury sustained to his arm.

Despite his best efforts Allen was falling behind the other three, and his limp was becoming more pronounced. Finally Lavi stopped his chatter to study him with a critical eye. "You shouldn't be putting weight on that, Allen. Here, I'll carry you on my back the rest of the way."

Ignoring his protests, Lavi took a few steps towards Allen. Neither one of them noticed Kanda striding forward past Lavi until he had already scooped Allen up bridal style. Allen yelped in protest and immediately began struggling.

"Kanda, you idiot! What are you doing?"

"You're slowing us down. We need to get to the train before more Akuma come looking for the innocence," He said shortly.

"I could have carried him," Lavi muttered, falling into line behind Kanda. "I didn't spend the night in a hole, after all."

Allen's cheeks reddened at the reminder of exactly how he had spent his night, and he shifted uncomfortably in Kanda's arms, shooting a furtive glance to discover he wasn't the only one with color in his cheeks. Apparently Kanda _did_ blush. That was the only indication of emotion Kanda gave for the rest of the trip, however. The lack of emotion was both unnerving and disappointing, and Allen wondered why he had even bothered carrying him. He was pretty sure Kanda would have been happier leaving him in the hole if his cold countenance was anything to go by. Allen's anxiety turned into depression, and he couldn't help but wonder why he had given his first kiss to someone who obviously despised him.

When they got to town Jean, Toma and Yin were anxiously waiting for them in front of the Inn. Well, Jean and Toma were anxiously waiting, Yin just looked bored. Allen thanked God that he had insisted Kanda put him down before they made their way into town. He wasn't sure he could handle more snide remarks about his 'boyfriend' at this point.

After hearing about where they had hidden out while waiting for reinforcements, however, Yin still gave Allen a knowing smirk. He simply glared, too tired and distracted by racing thoughts to pay the annoying woman any mind. What was her problem, anyway? She barely even knew them, why would she be giving them so much trouble?

"You lived. How disappointing." Yin said to Kanda. Allen winced and waited for sound of steel leaving its prison, or at least Kanda's annoyed "che." Instead Kanda just smirked at Yin. "Likewise."

Allen's jaw dropped open as his brain function sizzled to a halt. Did Kanda actually just engage in friendly banter with someone? Well, friendly for him. Allen had been trying for _months_ to get the stupid exorcist to like him, and this girl waltzed in and Kanda inexplicably feels a 'connection?'

"So, what, now you two are best friends?" He found himself blurting out, ignoring the inner voice that was saying something along the lines of _jealousy is unbecoming._ And the other voice whispering about the type of attention he had just received from Kanda not two hours before. Allen felt himself blush when the shocked faces of the group turned towards him. Even Kanda looked a bit taken aback. "Whatever. I'm going to get my things and clean up, and then we can go home."

Allen swung through the door, inexplicably close to tears. _What is wrong with me?_ An inner voice chided. He was acting like some jealous, jilted lover. He was pretty sure he and Kanda were not going to become intimate again. Kanda had probably just hit his head when they landed or something.

A quick shower in the shared bathroom at the end of the hall did little to improve Allen's mood. Especially since Kanda had come in about two minutes after he had to wash off the day's activities. Allen quickly turned off his shower and grabbed his towel, drying himself off quickly and striding across the white tile to the bench where he had set his clean set of clothes. He wanted to get out of town as quickly as possible, before more Akuma came to crash their party. Plus he wanted to get out of the bathroom before Kanda finished his shower.

Allen had barely pulled his underwear up over his hips when he heard the shower behind him shut off. Unbidden, his eyes moved to the mirror in front him. Through the steam he could see an arm snake out of the stall behind him to grab the towel hanging beside it. A moment later the curtain was moved aside to show a very wet Kanda stepping from the stall, towel slung low about his hips. Water dripped from his long black hair and down his perfect chest, marred only by his tattoo, to disappear beneath the towel. Dark eyes slowly raised to meet Allen's own, and he became aware of the fact that he was staring, wide eyed, hand paused above his pants. With a jolt he looked away, blushing, and grabbed his pants, frantically shaking them out and hopping on one foot as he put the other into a leg.

"Bean sprout."

With an eep, he struggled to get his other foot into the pants, panicking as it caught and Kanda moved closer. "Allen. What are you doing?" With a panicked wrench his pants were finally pulled up over his hips. Something didn't feel right though. Looking down he saw he had put them on backwards. Once again his eyes prickled with tears, and he furiously blinked them back, forgetting that Kanda could probably see his face in the mirror as he pulled his pants back down and stumbled out of them. Before he could try again, though, Kanda was behind him. He shuddered as warm hands touched his shoulders and spun him around. He kept his head down, knowing he was ridiculously close to actually crying in front of Kanda. Allen resisted the hand that cupped under his chin and tried to raise his head. Instead he kept his eyes glued to the floor.

"Bean sprout. Why are you always upset with me?"

Just like that, the tears were gone, replaced again by burning anger. "Are - are you kidding me?" Allen raised his head and stared at Kanda furiously, trying not to be distracted by the dripping body of the man in front of him. "You treat me horribly for months, like I'm nothing but an annoying, cursed fly, despite how friendly I try to be. And then you suddenly decide that you're _bored_, or something, and - and _attack_ me in a hole." He ignored Kanda's raised eyebrows, and the fact that he himself hadn't exactly been unwilling, in favor of continuing on his tirade.

"And then you act like it was _nothing_, despite the fact that it was my very first kiss," Kanda opened his mouth to comment, but Allen was not going to be interrupted. Raising his voice so that he couldn't even hear what Kanda was going to say, he continued.

"You're just as cool and collected as always. 'Oh, I'll carry you Allen, and then I'll be sure to not even look at you or talk to you once the whole way, so that you can feel the weight of the burden that you are to me now that you aren't getting me off.' And _then_," Allen continued forcefully as Kanda once again opened his mouth to speak, "You _flirt_ and act _friendly_ with some girl you barely know - when I don't even get the time of day, not two hours after taking my - my..." he flailed for the right word for a moment. "My innocence!" he finished proudly.

"So I guess the answer to your question, _Yuu_, is that I'm always angry with you because you are a _jerk_." With that Allen wrenched himself from Kanda's grip and bent down to swipe up his pants. He didn't care who saw him walking out of the bathroom in his shorts, he was getting out of the bathroom and he was doing it now.

Allen had just turned to grab the rest of his clothes, chest heaving, from the bench behind him when a hand on his shoulder spun him around to face Kanda once again. All the fire left him when he saw those black eyes glittering at him. Kanda was scary when he was angry.

"You truly believe," Kanda started, taking a step forward and forcing Allen to take one back, "that I was simply" - step - "_bored_. And that I have no feelings for you other than annoyance?" Another step and Allen felt the bench at the back of his knees. "That I would rob you of your first kiss? I don't just _do_ those things with people." The hand on his shoulder pressed down, and just like that Allen was staring wide eyed at the man standing above him, eyes flashing, from where he was seated on the bench.

"You annoy me because you are so ridiculously..." Kanda paused for a moment, and then spat out the next word like it was poison. "_cute_."

Allen blinked. Had Kanda just called him cute? "You run around with that dopey smile on your face, eating huge amounts of food, making everyone feel like you're this precious thing to be protected, and then you turn around and do something _stupid_ like almost getting yourself _killed_ to try and save everyone. And then you try to get me to leave you behind?"

And then Kanda was dropping on his knees in front of him. Allen figured his eyes were the size of saucers. Had Kanda just said he was precious? Was the world ending? The next thing he said was in a low voice. "And then you're sitting in my lap, in a dark hole...even my self control has its limits."

"Oh." Allen said in a squeak, eyes still wide as Kanda leaned towards him, eyes fastened on those thin, red lips as they whispered their next line.

"And as for Yin, I find her charming," Allen tried to turn away from Kanda, chest tight, but a hand on his cheek stopped him. "but not attractive. And I would certainly never do this with her."

And then Kanda leaned forward the rest of the way and put his lips on Allen's. With a moan, every feeling but that of Yu's lips on his own flew out of his head like so many moths, and his arms came up to bury themselves in that ridiculous hair. Allen opened his mouth to Kanda, stopping the last thing on his brain as that tongue pushed its way into his mouth. Allen turned his head as he allowed his tongue run up the length of Kanda's, the other man's appreciative grunt making him almost dizzy with the force of his want. How had he never noticed how sexy the sounds that Kanda made were before last night?

Allen allowed his hands to wander from Kanda's hair down to his shoulders, shuddering at the soft skin that met his hands. Kanda growled and took his lips from Allen's, who was about to protest until those lips moved to his ear, licking the shell of it before nipping at the lobe. The feeling of those teeth sent jolts straight to his groin, and he couldn't help his moan as he bared his neck to Kanda's ministrations. As the other man moved his lips down the soft skin of his neck, Allen allowed his hands to wander down Kanda's chest, making an appreciative noise as muscles bunched and quivered beneath his palms. Hands splayed wide, he swiped over nipples, surprised when Kanda's breath hitched and he paused in his kissing to pant against Allen's neck.

Curious, Allen did it again, a feeling a power overtaking his psyche as the man quivered against him. Slowly, feeling unsure of how it would be received, Allen allowed his fingertips to play over the small, now hard nubs. He was rewarded with a rather enthusiastic nip and suck to his neck, ensuring that if he wasn't hard before, he certainly was now. Emboldened, he allowed his fingers to tug and squeeze at the two spots, the panting in his ear driving his own need to new heights. Kanda allowed his exploration for a moment, until standing with a growl, grabbing Allen's hips and taking him with him.

Shocked, Allen wrapped his legs and arms around a now nude Kanda (where had his towel gone?) as he was spun around. Eventually they came to a stop with Allen against the door and Kanda pushed up against him. Lips crashed together again, and Allen moaned into Yu's mouth as the other man thrust against him. The only separation between their now aligned lengths a thin layer of fabric, Allen couldn't help but call out at the sensation, arching his back and hitting his head against the door, leaving his neck exposed to more nipping and sucking.

Kanda continued to thrust against him until Allen was practically sobbing his name in pleasure, shaking his head back and forth as the pressure built. And then Kanda was stepping back, and Allen's feet were touching the floor. Dazed, he stared at Kanda in confusion, but then the man was back to attacking his neck, and then his tongue was licking the sweat from Allen's collarbone. Unbidden, his hands were once again in that hair as Yu kissed his way to a nipple. When his soft but slightly chapped lips wrapped around the little nub, Allen thought he was going to climb over the other man in his surprised pleasure. "_Yu_," he moaned.

Kanda stopped for a moment, obviously shocked, before tentatively swiping a tongue over Allen's nipple. When his response was Allen's head hitting the door behind him as he arched into Kanda's touch, Kanda was emboldened, swiping a firmer tongue over the nipple as Allen's fingers gripped at his shoulders.

Allen was reduced to a sobbing, moaning mess as Kanda worked first one nipple with teeth, lips, and tongue for what seemed like an eternity before moving to the other. When Allen thought he couldn't take one more minute of the torture, he finally let out a strangled "Yu, _please_." He wasn't even sure what he was asking, but apparently the other man knew, because he let up on his torture to quickly kiss his way down Allen's body until he was kneeling in front of him. Flushed and panting, Allen looked at the man in front of him, eyes riveted on the length proudly jutting from a patch of dark curls, as Kanda's gaze rested on the bulge in his own underwear, and the wet spot where the tip of his penis strained against the fabric. Slowly, as though moving through molasses, Kanda's hands made their way towards the waistband until his fingers slid beneath it, Allen shivering at the feeling of his fingertips brushing the sensitive skin.

And then he was pulling them down to reveal the waiting flesh beneath. For a moment Kanda just stared, and Allen found himself holding his breath. Finally, Allen reached for his underwear, uncomfortable with that hot gaze on flesh that no one else had seen since he was a child.

A hand shot out to grab his and stop its progress, and then Yu was leaning forward and licking a stripe over the tip of him, and once again Allen's head was hitting the door, and stars were flying in front of his eyes as a hot mouth slowly took him inside. From far away he heard his own mouth babbling nonsense as he entwined his fingers in the hand still holding onto his, squeezing it in what was probably a bruising grip. "Oh god, oh Yuu, please, yes, _yes_," His hips bucked forward of their own accord hitting the soft back of Kanda's throat and making the other man gag. Kanda growled and put a stilling hand on Allen's hip. Allen open his eyes and looked down, expecting a glare, but those eyes were closed, as if in bliss, lips stretched over his length, and as Kanda's head began to bob up down his member,he effectively cut off Allen's apology and turned it into a moan.

Allen was glad Kanda had a hand on his hip, because once that mouth started moving down his length, and then pulling back with hollowed out cheeks, he lost all control. His free hand tangled in Kanda's hair, and, back arching, it took only another minute before he was choking out a warning, light exploding before his eyes, and Kanda pulled his mouth off of him and finished him with sure strokes of his hand.

Shuddering, Allen slid down the door, Kanda's fingers slipping out of his own, his shaky legs no longer able to support him, as he pulled in lungfuls of air. When he finally opened his eyes, it was to a sight that made him moan, and a small twitch of interest came from his recently abused member, despite the fact it would be awhile before it was ready to go again.

Kanda was still on his knees, staring at him hungrily as his hand worked between his legs, the other, still covered in Allen's seed, supporting his weight. Allen stared at the tip as it moved in and out of that hand. Kanda's gasps for air became more urgent, and Allen realized he was going to come. With a burst of energy, Allen sprang forward, placing his hands on Kanda's shoulders and pushing. With a yelp, the other man was falling backwards, hitting the tile with an undignified thud that Allen would never have expected from him.

He didn't dwell on it or bother with an apology. Instead he laid over the top of him, hungrily kissing Kanda's lips. Those arms wrapped around him and enthusiastically kissed him back. Allen didn't stay for long, however, before he was moving down that body, leaving hot, open mouthed kisses in his wake. He moaned at the slightly salty but fresh taste of Yu as he kissed his way down that stomach, growling his approval as hands laced themselves into his hair. Finally, he was facing Kanda's glistening tip. He gulped - it seemed much bigger when faced with what he was planning to do.

"Allen, you don't have to -" that voice broke into his reverie, and with renewed determination Allen leaned forward and licked the tip, causing Kanda to break off his sentence with a strangled sound. Allen realized he had the power to break that infuriating facade. He smirked as he rolled the taste of Yu on his tongue, deciding he liked it much more than he had expected.

Almost lazily he lowered his head towards the hard flesh, licking from the base to the tip, over and over, loving the way Kanda gasped and moaned as his hands tightened in his hair. Goosebumps broke over Allen's skin at the sounds, and unable to bear the wait any longer, he stretched his lips over the tip, slowly working his way down, concentrating on keeping his teeth covered with lips. He was surprised at how much of Kanda he could take into his mouth before his gag reflex kicked in, and couldn't help humming in pleasure as the bitter taste of Kanda hit the back of his throat, resulting in a twitch from the member in his mouth. Flattening his tongue against the underside, reveling in the weight of it and the moans coming from his partner, he hollowed his cheeks and _sucked_ as he moved up the length. He pulled off almost all the way, taking a moment to swirl his tongue around the tip before moving back down.

It took only three more bobs before Yu was pulling at his hair, warning him in a choked voice that he was going to come. Allen resisted the pull, however, a crazy need to _taste_ coming over him. He pulled back until only the tip was still in his mouth, and his hand came up to work up and down the rest of the length before the first pulse hit his mouth, the odd taste and texture both sexy and odd, the pain of Kanda pulling his hair as he panted his name encouraging him to swallow as it hit his tongue.

Finally, Kanda collapsed, spent, pulling Allen up his body to lay across his chest. Allen closed his eyes and laid his cheek on the warm skin, a smile playing about his lips as Kanda ran fingers through his hair, thinking he should be shocked at his own contentment.

"Bean sprout," Kanda's rough voice flowed over him, "I think you killed me."

Allen's chest moved in a silent laugh, and he brought himself to his elbows to lean forward and press his lips to Kanda's, still vaguely surprised at his own level of comfort after what had just happened. Shouldn't he be a blushing, blubbering mess right about now?

All thoughts of freaking out flew from his brain as Kanda wrapped his hands around him and pulled him tightly to him as he deepened their kiss and hummed in contentment. Allen's brain was becoming deliciously fuzzy when the sound of the door to the bathroom opening had his eyes popping open in horror as he remembered that they were in a _public bathroom_.

The only thought he had was _please don't be Lavi..._

"Oi! Bean sprout! Yuu! What are you doing? Our train is..." the voice cut off with a little 'eep.' Kanda swore, and Allen found himself flying across the room to his pile of clothes before he even realized he was moving, as the door closed with a slam and he heard the sound of running footsteps fading down the hall, leaving the two men staring at each other across an empty room.

_

The train ride home was one of the most awkward times of Allen's life. Kanda had turned back into grunting, cold Kanda, though now Allen was starting to realize he couldn't trust the exterior, and at this point Kanda obviously felt more than simple annoyance towards him. He thought he was cute. And precious. Allen blushed again as he remembered those words, and stole a glance at the man sitting next to him, his chest warming as he caught Kanda looking back at him.

The other man held his gaze for a moment before his lips quirked up in a half smile, and Allen found himself grinning back until a whimper across from him pulled his attention the the Bookman and his student, whose eyes had looked slightly wild and seemed to have developed a twitch since the bathroom incident. Allen sighed and looked down at his hands in his lap, looking forward to the end of the train ride, and some semblance of normalcy. He ran his hand over the back of his hair, wincing at the sore spot he found from his repeated banging of it against the door. He was thankful the Inn had been empty. How embarrassing would it have been if others had heard the sounds they were making? The ruckus from the Akuma blowing the canyon to bits had run off anyone not related to the order, however, leaving only Lavi to deal with the consequences.

The first thing Allen did when he got back was to take another shower. He and Kanda had used only towels to clean up before quickly getting dressed, and he was still feeling a bit sticky. He felt his chest tighten in a warm feeling as he remembered the awkward, fumbling kiss Kanda had given him before they stepped out of the bathroom into the hallway.

Shockingly, Lavi had apparently kept his mouth shut, though he had admittedly looked pretty haunted when he caught sight of the two other exorcists. Bookman had given them all a suspicious look, which wasn't surprising considering Allen's red faced stuttering, Lavi's uncharacteristic, wide eyed silence, and the effort that Kanda was putting into avoiding all of them. In fact, Kanda had walked to the train station ahead of everyone with only Yin for company, something that gave Allen a jolt of annoyance despite what Yu (or was it Kanda?) had said to him earlier. The annoyance had quickly faded when Kanda had allowed him to board the train ahead of him, putting his hand on Allen's lower back in a short caress as he had boarded behind him.

Allen still did not say goodbye to Yin, instead lingering over his farewell to Jean, promising to give his best to Komui, and to try for appreciation the next time he brought one of his machines into play.

Allen sighed as he flopped down on his bed, too exhausted to even make a trip downstairs for dinner. He decided to take a nap, and go to the cafeteria later for a snack. He briefly wondered if he would see Kanda when he went down.

As it turned out, he slept through the night, only his grumbling stomach - which thought the small meal he had consumed on the train was not enough to sustain it - awoke him with a jolt. He sleepily shuffled into the cafeteria, and a quick look around confirmed that it was practically empty, and no long haired, cranky, sword wielding japanese men were in sight.

He was quickly distracted from any disappointed feelings by the pile of food that appeared in front of him. He cheerfully plopped himself down at an empty table before beginning to stuff his face with enthusiasm. He was on his third bowl when someone sat down beside him. He slowed his chewing nervously when he saw that it was Lavi, luckily with a more cheerful and less traumatized look on his face.

"Oi, Bean Sprout!" he said cheerfully. Allen swallowed and smiled back at his friend, wondering if Komui had given him a memory wiping drug to ease Lavi's mind.

"Hello, Lavi," he said timidly, studying his friend closely for signs of discomfort. When he saw none, he shrugged and went back to eating, taking a huge bite of eggs.

"So, you and Yu, huh?" Lavi said casually, causing Allen to inhale half of his bite and then cough and splutter for a few moments.

Lavi hit him on the back until he regained his composure and gulped down some water. Once he could breath again, Allen turned his shocked gaze on his friend. "Um...kinda?" he said, since it was obvious Lavi was waiting for his reply.

Lavi nodded and looked down at his plate. "I guess that explains all the...tension," he said quietly. Allen was silent as he watched the other exorcist's face. He looked concerned for a moment until, finally, his expression cleared and he nodded his head as if deciding something.

"Right, well. Sorry I reacted so badly before. I was...surprised is all. But I really don't, um, have a problem with it."

Allen was surprised at how relieved he felt to hear Lavi say that. The implications of what he and Kanda were doing - had done - hadn't fully set in, but he was aware not everyone would approve of two men...well...canoodling.

"Thanks, Lavi," Allen whispered. He friend smiled, and then thankfully launched into the latest gossip, allowing Allen to get his bearings and continue his meal - which his stomach was grateful for.

Allen hadn't realized quite how obvious his furtive glances towards the door were until Lavi finally interrupted his own story to address it. "So...you know Kanda got another mission last night, right? He left on the early train."

"He...did?" Allen asked, turning towards his friend.

Lavi suddenly looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Yeah. I think I heard him tell Toma that he would be gone for a good week. Sorry, I thought he would have..."

Allen didn't need Lavi to finish his thought. He stared at his plate, and tried to tell himself that Kanda didn't owe him anything. He had never given any indication that Allen was more than...someone to do...things...with. _But that goodbye kiss at the bathroom door said something!_ a mutinous voice in the back of his head said.

Allen was saved from his embarrassing display of shock by Alex sitting down across from him, his sunny smile making it impossible not to smile back. His hair was even more messily arranged than usual, if that was possible. Now that Allen knew the things he liked to do with the opposite sex, he admitted to himself that Alex was quite handsome.

"Allen! Hi! I heard you got trapped in a hole all night on your latest mission. With _Kanda_." And his mock horrified face was so funny that instead of getting upset at the mention of the love 'em and leave 'em Kanda Yu, Allen found himself laughing, the depression from earlier lifting. _How does he DO that?_ he wondered, chalking it up to a special Alex skill.

After an hour in the cafeteria with Alex and Lavi, Allen was feeling much better. He was even beginning to chalk up Yu's departing without a word of goodbye to Allen - when he had a whole evening and night to come find him - to typical Yu emotional idiocy. As interesting as the last blow out they had had been, Allen was hoping they could communicate in a less explosive way. He supposed only time would tell.

_

Time, Allen discovered, was not telling him anything. Two days after Kanda he had gotten his own assignment. By the time he returned nine days later, Kanda had already been sent on another errand. It had been 13 days since they had seen each other last by the time Kanda and Allen found themselves standing next to each other waiting for their food to finish. As soon as he had seen the other man, Allen's chest had constricted so tightly that he was having trouble breathing. Memories from the bathroom and their 'hole' bombarded him, and before he knew what was happening, he had taken the three steps to close the distance between them.

"Yu," he whispered, eyes on Kanda's. For a moment those eyes stayed cold, but then they thawed, and Kanda actually took a small step towards him.

"Bean sprout." He said back, voice quiet. "You - "

Allen never found out what he was going to say, however, because Alex chose that moment to intervene. Allen felt arms come around him from behind, and then he was being spun. "Allen! I haven't seen you for days!" the cheerful voice said before setting him down and spinning him around to face him.

Allen craned his head towards where Kanda had been standing, but all he got was a view of the other man's back as he stalked away with his food. Allen knew Kanda well enough that he recognized angry stalking when he saw it. Why was Kanda angry? Had he changed his mind? For the first time since meeting him, Allen couldn't help but curse Alex. He turned back towards him when he realized he was talking.

"What?" he asked, rather irritably, then instantly regretted it at Alex's downcast expression.

"I said...did I interrupt something important? I'm sorry, I thought you might need rescuing..." He trailed off, rather lost looking as he wrung his hands together.

Allen immediately felt guilty, and reached a hand out to his shoulder. "No, no, sorry. I shouldn't have snapped, I wasn't really upset with you."

Alex immediately brightened, and Allen couldn't help but smile back. His smile quickly faded, however, when he sat down at the table Kanda was currently at, only to have the man stand up without meeting his eyes and stalk over to drop off his half eaten plate before leaving the room.

Allen could only wonder if he had imagined that softening of the eyes, and the way Kanda had said his name like he was happy to see him. Not even Alex's smile could cheer him after that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter** **5**  
Finally another update! Thanks for your patience, everyone, and I hope you enjoy chapter 5! P.S. I totally got married, which is why I haven't had a lot of time for writing...plus i've been trying to keep up with my blog...

Disclaimer: D. Gray Man is not my precious. I just stole it from a cave to play with.

Allen's day was not getting any better. Kanda was still avoiding and him and scowling a lot, and Allen was starting to get frustrated. Again. Still. Whatever.

Allen had gone to visit the scientists on the research team to distract himself, and was currently watching Komui dance around Lenalee while exclaiming that nobody made a sandwich like his little sister. Lenalee stood with a smile working at the corner of her lips, patiently holding the tray that Komui's lunch was now residing on, until he calmed down enough to take it from her.

Across the room someone was mumbling about too much paperwork and lack of sleep, apparently under the impression that no one else could hear them. If there was one thing that Allen had learned over the last year, it was that everyone at Headquarters had really good hearing.

"Nonsense!" Komui said brightly. "You've got plenty of stamina left! You just need some fresh air. I'll open the window for you!" Allen rolled his eyes from his perch on the only love seat not covered in paperwork as Komui bounded to the window, flinging open the small shutters in glee. A breeze drifted in, bringing a whiff of cool evening air that would have been nice if it didn't immediately send papers flying everywhere. Komui seemed oblivious to the cries to close the window as he skipped back towards Lenalee.

The breeze died down for a moment, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as paper began to drift back towards the ground. The reprise was brief, however, and the wind immediately picked back up with a vengeance. Allen winced as he saw it swirl through the room, knocking over whole piles of papers as it went, instigating a collective groan. It made a path of destruction all the way to where Komui was finally accepting the tray his sister had been trying to give to him for the past 20 minutes. Papers swirled around their feet, and Lenalee's short skirt was caught in updraft, giving the room an unimpeded view of white panties with a little pink bow on the front. Lenalee gasped in surprise, dropping the tray in her haste to pull her skirt down. Sandwich parts went flying as tea splattered across paperwork unfortunate enough to be within a four foot radius of the siblings.

Ominously, the wind died down, and no one in the room dared to breathe. All eyes were on Komui, hands still held out towards a tray that now lay at his feet, eyes wide and wild. Finally, he spoke - four words that froze the souls around him in fear. "My - little - sister...KOMLIN!"

***

Allen skidded around the corner, barely noticing as his shoulder hit the opposite wall - hard enough to bruise, he was sure - and coaxed more speed from his legs. The electronic whir of Komlin's legs could be heard above the pounding roar of it's feet hitting the ground and Komui's crazy screams about 'Lenalee's precious innocence.'

Why did every person at The Order have to be so crazy?! Like Allen was even remotely interested in Lenalee's panties. Especially since apparently he preferred boxers. Or, more precisely, the boxers of one cranky, overly dramatic exorcist who was not speaking to him.

Allen cringed away from a block of stone that exploded on the wall next to him, shielding his face from the shrapnel pieces and tripping over his own foot before sprawling on the floor, his momentum slamming him into the opposite wall. Komui was serious this time. Allen shook off the pain, and stumbled to his feet to resume running. He rounded another corner, sensing Komlin as a huge mass that was slowly gaining on him. A door opened in front of him and Kanda stepped out - Allen realized with a jolt that he had led Komlin straight to Kanda's personal quarters.

With a panicked gasp, he slid to a stop in front of the other exorcist, whose eyebrows were raised in question. Allen imagined how he must look - probably covered in dust, limping slightly, and a ruckus that sounded like a tank booming from around the corner.

"Back - back in your room! Komui...he's on a rampage! Lenalee's panties...we saw them!" Allen was frantically pushing the unmoving Kanda back towards his door. "He's out for blood!" he finally yelled, looking over his shoulder in fear.

Kanda sighed and turned towards his door, mumbling something about mad scientists and bean sprouts. Allen sighed in relief and turned to resume his running, but ended up letting out an alarmed squeak as Kanda grabbed his arm and pulled him through the door, slamming it shut behind him.

"What are you - " Allen was cut off as Kanda slapped his hand over his mouth and pressed his body against the door, body going tense as the sound of a rampaging robot made its way closer.

Allen closed his eyes and prayed that the robot would keep going, images of Kanda flying through the air after the robot sucker punched him playing across his lids. He sagged in relief when the booming footsteps and Komui's maniacal laughter moved past and continued down the hallway.

His relief was short lived when he opened his eyes and found himself facing a very cranky exorcist. Dark eyes drilled into his, and he realized how close they were. The length of Kanda's body was pressed against his, and his heart jumped in his chest. Allen reached up slowly and grasped the wrist of the hand that was still clamped over his mouth. He gave it a small tug, and after a moment Kanda pulled his hand away and placed it next to Allen's head flat on the door. They stared at eachother for a few moments, Allen not daring to even breathe. After a moment, and totally of their own accord, his hands lifted from his sides, and he placed them on Kanda's waist. Slowly, as if not to scare the other man, he slid his hands up Kanda's side, and moved them in too splay across his chest. Kanda was wearing a white button up shirt, and Allen could feel his muscles contracting under his fingers. Kanda's breath caught as he moved his hands up over the man's nipples, but he continued on until they reached his shoulders and wrapped around Kanda's neck.

Then he was standing on his tippy toes and tilting his head back, a request that Kanda wasted no time in granting. Their lips brushed together for a moment, causing Allen's eyes to flutter shut and his breath to catch in his throat. Kanda softly pressed his lips to Allen's three more times, eliciting a soft sigh from the shorter exorcist.

"Bean Sprout," Kanda whispered as he pulled back. "Why were you looking at Lenalee's underwear?"

It took Allen a moment to process what Kanda had said. His eyebrows came together as his eyes fluttered open to meet two cold black orbs. And then Kanda was stepping away from him, and he was forced to slump against the door behind him as his knees were still resembling water from Kanda's kisses.

"What?" He said, slightly dumbly.

"Lenalee's panties. You said 'we' saw them. And Komui found out somehow and is now on a rampage."

Color filled Allen's cheeks, and he waved his hands frantically in front of him while he shook his head. "No, no, no! It was an accident! The wind...and...her skirt - it foosh!" he made a gesture that was supposed to symbolize Lenalee's skirt flying in the air. Kanda didn't seem like he was buying it. "It was all just an unfortunate accident! I would never purposely look up Lenalee's skirt!"

"The panties were...on her when you saw them?" Kanda's expression was now thunderous, and he took a step towards Allen.

"No! Well, yes, but the wind lifted her skirt! We didn't mean to see them! And - and - wait. Why do you care? I didn't know you were that protective of Lenalee." Allen's head cocked to the side in confusion, and Kanda scoffed and looked away.

"You're a mess, bean sprout. Go get cleaned up." He said gruffly before turning away.

Allen deflated even more against the door. Obviously Kanda was still angry with him. "Fine," he whispered, too worn out to argue. He turned towards the door, ignoring the tears prickling in the back of his eyes as he turned the doorknob and began to pull the door open. Kanda's hand lashed out and slammed the door closed again, wrenching the handle from Allen's hand and making him jump back with a cry of shock.

"What the hell, jerk?" He yelled, glaring at Kanda as the older man glared right back.

"Idiot. Komui is still out there. I'm guessing this is the last place he would check, so you should stay here until Lenalee beats some sense into him. I meant go clean up in my bathroom."

"Oh." Allen said, cursing his red cheeks. "Th-thanks." He turned and fled towards the bathroom, practically slamming the door behind him. Kanda's bathroom was similar to his, with a large shower stall dominating one side of the room and a small sink with a square mirror above it standing across from it. With a sigh, he moved to the sink and turned the tap onto hot, wincing when he caught sight of his reflection. He was covered in dust, and was bleeding from a small cut on his right cheek. His coat didn't even look blue anymore, and he could see that dust had caked at the edge of the collar, leaving a dark brown smudge on his neck. It was no wonder Kanda hadn't wanted to kiss him. He was filthy. He unzipped his coat, letting it slide from his shoulders onto the floor. He then moved to the buttons on his shirt, which thankfully wasn't too dirty except for at his neck. He finished unbuttoning them, and winced as he slowly pulled the fabric off of him and his shoulder twinged.

He studied the bruise in the mirror. He'd had worse, sure, but this one was still pretty bad. He must have hit the wall harder than he thought. It spread across the skin to disappear onto his back, and was starting to turn from red to nasty purple.

Allen put his hands in the water, watching as the grey liquid ran down the drain, before cupping some in his hands and splashing his face and neck. He blinked water out of his eyes as he lifted his head, knowing he was still covered in dust, but figuring he would just have to wait for a real shower.

Allen started at the figure standing behind him. Kanda was in the doorway holding a towel in his hands, eyes riveted on Allen's bare shoulder. Allen shifted uncomfortably under the intense gaze, and he cleared his throat.

"Um, Kanda...?" The other man's gaze snapped from Allen's shoulder to meet his eyes in the mirror. Kanda's jaw was tense, and Allen was surprised to see that he was furious. He stood pinned by that gaze as Kanda strode across the bathroom, and jumped when he felt a light tough on his bruise.

"Did Komui do this?" Kanda asked in a low voice that promised pain.

"No!" Allen yelled instinctively. Sure, Komui had crossed the line today, but Allen didn't want him dead. Kanda focused his glare on him, sensing the lie. "Well...I mean...not really. I ran into the wall while I was running." He shifted uncomfortably as that gaze stayed focused on him.  
"And this?" Kanda whispered, turning Allen towards him and brushing his hand across the small stinging cut on his face.

"Hm?" Allen asked, entranced again by dark eyes that seemed to stare right through him. "Oh...yes, he threw a block of stone at me," his voice sounded dreamy, even to him, and somewhere in the back of his mind he realized he was in trouble. How could the man pin him with one simple stare?

Kanda's other hand moved up to lightly brush his bruised shoulder, and then his hand was moving in a slow caress down his torso, causing goosebumps to rise in response. "Did he hurt you anywhere else?" Kanda's voice was husky and low, and his face had moved so it was just inches from Allen's.

"Mmmm...I fell on my hip," Allen said distractedly, parting his lips and allowing his eyes to close to half mast. He leaned forward. Just another few inches and that mouth would be on his...

Kanda growled and took a step back, leaving Allen blinking for a moment in shock. He jumped when he felt hands on his belt, and made an attempt to move away from the reaching digits. "What are you doing?" Allen asked. Kanda ignored him as he undid his belt and with a deft move unbuttoned his pants.

Allen slapped at his hands to no avail. Before he could really process what was happening the pants had been yanked down his legs and Kanda was on his knees in front of him. Allen's eyes widened in shock, and he would have scrambled backwards if not for the calming palms that now rested lightly on his hips. Unbidden an image came to him of Kanda on his knees in front of him in a different bathroom, and he stifled a moan as he twitched beneath his boxers.

Apparently unaware of Allen's distress, Kanda grabbed his underwear and tugged them down. Allen gasped, and watched wide eyed as Kanda leaned forward. Oh god, that mouth was getting closer...but Kanda completely bypassed Allen's now half-hard member to instead inspect his hip.

Surprise warred with disappointment as Allen realized Kanda was running his hands over his hips checking for serious injuries. "Um...I think I'm alright, Kanda. Really. Just surface bruises." Allen's voice sounded rough to his own ears, and he cleared it, aware that a blush had formed on his cheeks and was working its way down his neck.

Kanda harrumphed and stood, stepping past a still blushing Allen to the shower. Allen heard the sound of water, and a few moments later felt steam at his back. He felt Kanda brush by him, and watched as the man bent down to pick up the towel he must have dropped earlier, and stood up to hold it out to him.

With a jolt Allen remembered his pants were still around his ankles, and he swiped the towel from Kanda's hand and wrapped it around his waist. Kanda's lips quirked up in a smile, and Allen was in danger of losing his brain to distraction again. "Take a shower, bean sprout." He turned to leave, and Allen panicked. And apparently had a stroke, since it was the only excuse for what came out of his mouth next.

"You won't be joining me?" He blurted, and cringed at his own words. Kanda stopped mid turn towards the door to give Allen a bemused expression.

Pretty sure he now resembled a tomato, Allen mumbled 'nevermind' under his breath and turned quickly towards the shower, not daring to look over his shoulder, knowing he might actually die from embarrassment if Kanda mocked him at this point. He hung his towel next to a dark blue one - Kanda's he assumed - on a hook next to the stall, and quickly stepped over the small lip, reaching behind him to shut the glass door behind him.

Allen stepped under the warm spray, closing his eyes when he felt the grime from his misadventure begin to wash off of his hair and down his body. He slowly began to relax his muscles, willing his brain to forget the last few minutes of his life, when the unmistakable sound of the shower stall door opening had his eyes flying open and his body going rigid.

He strained his senses, and felt Kanda step up behind him after the soft whoosh of the door closing again reached his ears. Allen remained tense, and just about jumped out of his skin when he felt gentle fingers in his hair. The fingers pulled insistently until Allen tipped his head back out of the spray. One hand disappeared, and Allen heard the pop of a shampoo bottle, and a gentle thump as it was set back down. Then the fingers were back, gently massaging suds into his scalp.

Allen pulled in a deep breath to calm the beating of his heart. A warm fuzziness started in his chest and spread to his fingertips and down to his toes. Kanda was washing his hair. He closed his eyes and relaxed into the massaging motions of the hands - which felt amazing. They rubbed in circular motions down to his temples, and he allowed a small sigh to escape his lips. And then Kanda stopped, and gently pushed Allen's head under the spray again, carding his fingers through to help release the suds.

Once he was thoroughly rinsed, strong hands gripped his shoulders and spun him around. Allen blinked water out of his eyes until they could focus on the man in front of him. He swallowed as his gaze wandered down Kanda's body, and back up to his face. Yu Kanda was gorgeous. Beads of water clung to his eyelashes and long, loose hair, and were joining to form rivulets that ran down his muscled, tattooed torso and further into a patch of dark curls that his hard member jutted proudly from. Allen swallowed again, and felt his mouth water as he looked at it. Again, images from their last time in a bathroom came to mind, and he realized that Kanda wasn't the only one sporting an erection.

Tentatively, Allen reached out and wrapped a hand around it, watching Kanda's eyes closely as he did so. He couldn't help but feel a little smug as they became half lidded and darkened. He bit his lip for a moment before moving his hand down to the base and then back to the tip, his breath hitching when Kanda let out a moan. So Allen did it again, and again, until Kanda's hips were jerking back and forth with the motion, and both of their breaths were coming out in short pants. Allen had never felt so powerful as he did right at that moment - watching the icy Yu come apart at his hands.

Finally, Kanda wrapped his hand around Allen to get him to stop his movements, and put the other in the base of his hair to pull him forward for a kiss. Lips and bodies crashed together, and Allen immediately opened his mouth to allow Kanda run his tongue along his teeth once before delving into his mouth.

Allen gave a low growl that he had never heard come out of his mouth before, and wrapped both of his hands around Kanda's neck. He felt warm palms splay out on his back only to move lower until they gripped his butt and pulled him forward. His erection pushed up against the crease of Kanda's thighs, and he could feel Kanda's answering hardness against his abdomen.

They kissed until they ran out of air, and then Kanda pulled back. Allen opened his eyes, and became aware that it was possible to be more turned on than he already was. Kanda looked almost edible with his dark eyes and lips wet from Allen's saliva. Pink tinged pale cheeks, and Allen had a crazy urge to lick them.

With a shaky hand Kanda reached a hand to the shelf next to them and picked up a bar of soap. He began to lather it in his hand. Allen stood a bit stupidly and watched him - his brain seemed to be incapable of higher function after that kiss, and his body seemed to think that whatever Kanda wanted to do was just fine with him.

When Yu finally put the soap down, he reached forward to rub the lather on Allen's body. Apparently bathtime wasn't over.

By the time Kanda had finished lathering and rinsing him, Allen was just about mindless with the need for...something. They had stopped for frantic kisses twice, and now the hot water seemed to be waning.

Kanda reached around him to turn the spray off, then turned and opened the door to the stall and stepped out. He looked over his shoulder and raised his eyebrow, a clear indication to follow, so Allen did. He probably would have followed him into Komlin's lair at this point, if it meant more kissing.

Allen stepped out of the stall onto a thread bear bath rug, content to watch and shiver as Kanda quickly dried himself off with the blue towel and turned to hang it up. Allen focused on Kanda's two round globes, realizing he hadn't ever gotten a chance to actually look at his butt closely before.

Then Kanda was turning him around and wrapping him in a warm fuzzy towel. Allen closed his eyes and sighed as Yu ran it over his skin, drying him, and gently rubbed his hair dry. He yelped and his eyes flew open when he felt a familiar warmth wrap around his length, and looked down to see that Kanda was now on his knees, and Allen's cock was in his mouth. Those dark eyes almost seemed to hold a challenge in them as Kanda began to move his mouth up and down Allen's length, drawing a low moan from him. Kanda pulled back until only the tip was in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it and pulling a noise from Allen that was reminiscent of a squeaky door. So he did it again, and a few more times for good measure.

Allen was so lost in pleasure that he barely noticed when Kanda added his own finger in the mix, wetting it with his saliva, and then removed it from his mouth. Allen's hands were buried in the other man's black strands, and his eyes were closed. Moans were falling from his lips, and he almost choked on his own tongue when a cold, wet finger traced the outline of his cheeks before dipping in to play with the entrance of his hole.

He started to protest, but it turned into a strangled cry when Kanda hollowed his cheeks and sucked. He would have been in danger of coming if there was not a finger working its way inside of him. He tensed against it, and Kanda's other hand moved to make soothing circles on his hip with his thumb as his tongue lapped at his member.

Gradually, Allen relaxed, and Kanda pushed the finger in further. He gently pulled out a little and pushed back in a few times, until he was able to get the whole finger in. Allen moaned when he twisted the finger and pleasure spiked through his discomfort.

Kanda removed the finger allowed Allen to pop free of his mouth before standing. "Let's go to the bed." He whispered huskily, and Allen realized it was the first real words that had left his mouth since stepping into the shower.

Suddenly nervous, Allen nodded and followed him anyway. Kanda's bedroom was just as sparse as his own - a desk, a dresser, and a small bed tucked into the corner. It was, of course, immaculate, and Kanda walked to the bed and pulled down the comforter, then looked at Allen expectantly.

Allen swallowed. He knew what that bed meant - he even knew exactly what happened between two men, thanks to walking into the wrong room at a slightly seedy hotel he had stayed at with General Cross. Unable to help himself, he had asked his mentor how, exactly, two men could possibly be intimate. Cross had given him a lengthy and traumatizing description that had given him odd dreams for weeks.

Kanda sensed his hesitation, and stepped towards him. "Bean sprout...if you want to stop..."

Part of Allen wanted to take him up on his offer. The other part, however, felt something painful constrict in his chest at the thought of leaving at that moment, and prompted him to shake his head. After a deep breath, Allen moved to the bed, and gingerly laid down on his back. Kanda's face relaxed, and Allen realized he was relieved. He didn't have much time to think about this, however, because Kanda was lying his - very naked - body across his own, and was leaning down for a kiss.

It started out slow, but soon they were running their hands over every bit of flesh they could reach while tongues battled inside mouths, neither really caring who won. Allen wrapped his legs around Kanda's waist to pull him closer, reveling in the feel of soft flesh against his own, and both moaned at the contact of their two erections sliding against each other.

Allen arched into the body above him, pulling away from the kiss to bury his head in Kanda's neck. The friction felt amazing, but suddenly it didn't seem like enough.

"Y-Yu," managed, then had to stop to moan as Kanda moved his lips to his neck and begin to nibble the soft skin behind his ear. "Yu. More. Please..."

Kanda paused in his ministrations and pulled back to study Allen. "Are you sure..."

"Yes. Please," Allen groaned.

Kanda took a ragged breath and nodded. He reached into the crack between the bed and wall, and pulled out a small jar. Allen would have laughed at the location of Kanda's lube supply if he wasn't busy watching him sit up and adjust himself between Allen's legs.

Yu twisted the cap off the jar, and dipped two fingers inside, rubbing them against his thumb and palm before moving the hand to grasp Allen's penis. He groaned and pushed his hips into the hand now working his length, but continue to watch through eyes half closed in pleasure as Kanda dipped the other hand in the jar and moved it between Allen's legs, which had fallen open for him. Allen knew he should be embarrassed about being so exposed, but couldn't find it in himself to care just then.

He tried to keep from tensing up as a finger brushed against his entrance, but it was hard not to reject the intrusion as it pushed inside. Allen gritted his teeth and forced muscles to relax, grateful for the hand that was still working at his length.

Kanda pulled the finger in and out of him until Allen felt pleasure begin to build and the discomfort wore away, and he started to thrust against the finger inside him. Kanda then added another finger, and though the discomfort was intense, so was the pleasure.

Soon Allen was thrusting against three fingers, his breath ragged and catching on his moans. "Now," he groaned. "Oh, god, Yu, now."

The fingers inside of him and the ones working his length disappeared, and he would have groaned in disappointment if it weren't for the nervousness that had overtaken him again as he watched Kanda, whose cheeks were red and pupils were blown out with want, position himself at Allen's entrance. Allen swallowed as the tip bumped him, and he tensed for a moment before reminding himself to relax. Kanda looked at him, the question clear on his face, and, taking a deep breath, Allen nodded.

With a sigh, Yu leaned forward on one arm and positioned himself at Allen's entrance, pushing forward until the tip was surrounded by a ring of muscle. Allen had squeezed his eyes shut against the pain, and Kanda moved the hand that had been guiding his cock to Allen's hip to make soothing circles with his thumb. After a moment Allen relaxed, and gave a small jerk of his head to indicate that he was ready.

Slowly Kanda pushed forward another inch before rocking back and pushing in a bit more. After several moments of this motion, Allen realized that Kanda was fully inside of him. The burn was intense, but past it Allen felt the satisfaction of being filled by his lover, and the promise of pleasure to come.

He opened his eyes, ignoring the moisture that had gathered at the corners, and took a shaky breath. One look at Yu's face and he almost completely forgot his discomfort. His eyes were closed in bliss, and his mouth had dropped open. His muscles were tensed, showing Allen every delectable muscle on the long, lean body. He was obviously struggling not move and cause Allen more pain, which caused a pleasant warmth to seep into his chest.

Tentatively, Allen dug his heels into the bed and thrust up, tightening the muscles around Kanda's length. The man's eyes flew open, and he emitted a deep moan that ignited a fire in Allen, who moved his legs to wrap around Yu's waist.

"Yu...move." he whispered. With a groan, Kanda did so, slowly at first, but picking up the pace at Allen's urging. The pain melded into the pleasure, and Allen had never felt anything quite so intense in his life. He was moving into Kanda's thrusts, groaning as he pulled back and pushed forward to fill him before pulling out again.

Kanda stopped to pull one of Allen's legs over his shoulder, kissing the calf and caressing down the thigh as he resumed his thrusting. Allen saw stars and his hands scrabbled at Kanda's shoulders as he hit something inside him that sent spikes of please straight to his groin.

"Oh, god, Yu, again - please do that again." Kanda stopped for a moment in shock before tentatively repeating the motion, drawing another intense reaction from Allen before he did it again. All thoughts of pain fled as Allen moved his hips to meet each thrust, begging Kanda to go 'faster, harder, oh god, more.'

Yu complied with the request, and Allen almost crawled out from under him, the pleasure was so intense. Strings of words were pouring from Allen's lips, so jumbled even he wasn't sure what he was saying, and his fingers dug into the flesh of Kanda's shoulders hard enough to leave a mark.

Yu was chanting something over and over again, and Allen lost it when he realized it was his name - his real name. With a gasp, he let go of Kanda's shoulder to grab his own erection, only pumping twice before the most intense orgasm he had ever experienced ripped through him. His body arched taught like a bowstring, and he let out a loud, low moan as every muscle in his body contracted and hot, thick fluid spurted out onto his chest and hand.

Kanda let out a low growl and thrust twice more before he stilled and Allen felt him pulse inside of him, drawing another groan from him as he relaxed his body down to the mattress. A moment later Kanda followed, sliding from between Allen's legs and to his side. Allen stretched out his leg in relief, and let his eyelids flutter shut. His whole body felt relaxed and he didn't think he could move if he tried.

A few minutes later he let out a moan of protest as Kanda sat up next to him. "Come on, bean sprout. We need a shower before sleep." Allen mumbled a protest and snuggled further into the mattress. His eyes flew open and he yelped when two strong arms lifted him off the mattress.

Kanda was carrying him into the bathroom. "Oi! Jerk, let me down!" he cried.

"Che." said a voice above him. Allen gave the exorcist a half hearted glare, but his body was still feeling too content to put up a real fight. All thoughts of arguing left his brain when he saw Kanda's gaze soften, and he took a shuddering breath before raising a hand to the man's cheek and leaning up to give him a soft kiss on the lips. Kanda returned his gentle kiss for a moment before pulling back and gently setting his feet on the ground, though he kept a hand on Allen's waist as he was still unsteady on his feet.

Allen made a face at the mess on his belly, suddenly glad Kanda had forced him to shower. He sighed and snuggled into the man's side, not caring how girly it felt when he nuzzled his nose into Kanda's neck. He was surprised to hear a chuckle in response.

"Come on, bean sprout. Time for a shower." He lifted Allen over the lip of the shower and under the warm spray - apparently the hot water had a chance to build up again - and stepped in after him. Allen decided he liked this softer side of Kanda, and that he would take total advantage of it. Truthfully, he hadn't had a lot of physical affection - even Mana hardly ever hugged him - and now that he was getting it he realized he enjoyed it..

He let Kanda lather him with soap and rinse him, admiring his long fingers and flawless skin as his did so. As soon as he was rinsed he stepped to the side to allow Kanda some time under the spray, and gasped at the twinge he felt from previously unused muscles in his lower regions. He stumbled, and Kanda wrapped his arms around him.

"Are you alright, bean sprout?" A concerned voice asked. Allen leaned into the touch and buried his flushed face in Kanda's chest.

He whispered a muffled affirmative, but didn't move from Kanda's embrace for a moment before pulling back and smiling up at him.

Kanda's eyes widened, and he stared for a moment before his lips quirked up at the edges and he rolled his eyes, dropping his hands and moving into the spray. "Idiot bean sprout. Are you sore?" Allen was distracted from answering for a moment by the sight of Kanda leaning his head back into the spray. He swallowed at the toned body stretched out in front of him, and cleared his throat.

"A bit," he said, and as if to prove his words he shifted his weight and gasped at the twinge of renewed pain.

A hand cupped his cheek, and Kanda's dripping face was looking at him in concern. "Was it too much for you? Was I too...rough?"

Allen shook his head. "I'm not a girl, okay? I'm fine." He pulled his face from Kanda's hand as he looked away.

"I'm sorry if it wasn't good." An emotionless said, and Allen's eyes whipped back to Kanda in surprise, but he was turned away.. Was he kidding? How could he think he didn't enjoy it? Allen could tell by Kanda's stiff shoulders that the mask was coming back into place, and he desperately wished he could take the words back.

"What? No! It wasn't! I mean, it was! It was really good. Better than good, really. It was amazing. I'm just now starting to notice pain...um...was it...good for you?" Kanda had seemed to enjoy it, but Allen really didn't have any other sexual encounters to compare it to - except for the ones with Kanda, of course, and he was starting to feel insecure with that cold, stiff back in front of him.

Silence met his question for a moment, and then Kanda's body relaxed, and he shook his head before resuming his washing. "Yes. It was good for me."

Allen smiled. Really, that was practically an enthusiastic shout coming from Kanda. They finished washing, and Allen was happy to note he wasn't the only one stealing small touches and embraces, though Kanda was better at pretending it was an accident. Finally, Allen reached behind him to turn off the water, and shook the droplets from his hair. When he looked up Kanda was giving him a bemused expression.

"What?" Allen asked, then yawned hugely before Kanda could reply.

"Nothing. I've just never met anyone who shakes like a dog after a shower."

Allen glared at him. "I wasn't shaking like a dog! I just like to get rid of the excess water!"

"Mmm-hmm." Kanda stepped out of the shower and grabbed their towels. Allen followed, giving Yu a grateful smile as he took the slightly damp fabric from him. After he finished drying, however, Allen realized he wasn't sure what he should do next. His clothes were still filthy - should he put them on and skulk to his own room? Or was he expected to stay with Kanda? If so, what would he wear for pajamas? He wasn't sure he was ready to sleep naked, even if he did have a lover now. What if there was a fire? He wouldn't have time to stop to put on clothes, and then everyone would see him in the nude...

Luckily Kanda stopped his internal panicking by waving his hand in front of Allen's face. "Oi, bean sprout, I said I would lend you a pair of pajama bottoms for bed."

Well, that answered that question. "Th-thank you." He said, cheeks brightening as relief and panic flooded his system at the same time. He wasn't being treated like a dirty one night stand, but he had also never slept with someone in the same bed before - at least not someone he was intimate with.

"In the morning you can wear one of my coats to your room."

Allen stuttered another thank you, and followed Kanda into his bedroom with the towel still wrapped around his waist. Kanda crossed the room to his dresser and pulled two pairs of flannel pajamas from the second drawer. Both were black, and Allen almost rolled his eyes. Of course Kanda wouldn't have colored pajamas.

They changed into the pants - Kanda with more grace than Allen, who by that point was fumbling with nervousness - and Kanda crossed the room to turn out the light and lock his door. Allen then decided he was horrified that someone could have just walked in while they were having sex, never mind that only someone who wished for death would enter Kanda' s room without knocking.

Moonlight softly lit the room through Kanda's open shades, and Allen shivered as he realized just how chilly it was. Strong arms wrapped around his waist, and he felt lips in his hair. Allen closed his eyes and leaned back against Kanda, immediately feeling warmer.

He almost laughed when he realized that two weeks ago he was ready to strangle the man. Now...well, now he wanted to do other, much naughtier things to him, when he wasn't being a cold hearted jerk. Speaking of that...

Allen turned around so that they were standing chest to chest, and put his hands around Kanda's waist. Unable to resist, he also laid his head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"Yu?" He ventured.

"Hmm?"

"Why were you upset with me today?"

Kanda stiffened and tried to take a step back, but Allen tightened his arms and pulled his head back to look up at Yu's face. "What? It's not fair to give me the silent treatment and not even tell me why. I spent half the day thinking that you were...ashamed of what we had done."

Kanda, who had been staring moodily at something to their left to avoid looking at Allen, swung his head back to stare at him. "No. That wasn't it." He said shortly.

"Well then?" Allen raised his eyebrows, and got only a "che" in response.

He sighed and let his arms drop, then stepped around Kanda and headed determinedly towards the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Kanda asked.

"To get dressed and go back to my room. I'm not going to do this with you."

Kanda walked towards him and grabbed his arm to stop Allen from walking into the bathroom. "Fine. I don't like to share."

Allen paused, his eyebrows crinkling into a confused frown, and turned to study Kanda. "What do you mean?"

Kanda sighed, his usual scowl making its way onto his face. Allen decided suddenly that it was cute, and had to stifle the insane urge to giggle. "The Finder." Kanda said, as if that explained everything.

"If you want your own finder, I'm sure Kanda would give us two on our next mission...?" Allen said in a voice that made it sound more like a question.

Kanda growled in annoyance. "No, idiot. I don't want to share you with that finder."

Allen stared at him blankly as his mind raced. Finally, a thought hit him, and he gasped, horrified. "You think me and Toma -"

"What? No! The Finder in the cafeteria! The one who had his hands all over you this morning! The one you're always flirting with!"

Allen's mouth hung open as shock, anger, and amusement all flooded him. "You're jealous of Alex? You treated me like crap after not seeing me for weeks because you're jealous?"

Kanda opened his mouth to speak, but Allen beat him to it. He lifted a finger and poked Kanda's chest as he spoke. "Listen. I don't what you're opinion of me is, but I am NOT the type of person who goes around doing...inappropriate...things in bathrooms with just anyone! There is nothing between Alex and I, and if you insist on acting like a child and treating me horribly because I have a friend who happens to give lots of hugs, than you can just forget about all of this!"

Kanda blinked a few times as he stared at Allen, who by now was panting slightly with anger.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Before Allen could recover from his surprise, Kanda was covering his lips with his own, and Allen forgot all about being angry. Kanda pulled away slowly, and it took Allen a moment to open his eyes. What had they even been talking about?

Then Kanda was leading him across the room and pulling him into bed. Kanda ended up on his back in the bed, with Allen's head on his shoulder. As Kanda pulled the covers over them with the hand that wasn't currently playing with the strands of Allen's head, and warmth seeped into his cold body, the gray haired exorcist decided he could get used this.


End file.
